I Bleed Black
by Wingless Night
Summary: DISCONTINUED. Two boys, polar opposites, face trials that normal kids have only heard of in movies. They know they must rely on each other to pull through, but is it just too dangerous for them to be friends - or even more? AU, SasuNaru
1. Crash and Burn

**Disclaimer**: Naruto is not mine  
  
**Claimer**: All the Songs/Poems you will find in the chapters ARE MINE! NO TOUCHIES!!! NO! bah…  
  
**Pairings**: SasuNaru… do you really expect something different from me? Come on…  
  
**Summary**: Uzumaki Naruto is a poet. Uchiha Sasuke is an artist. When both of them are forced to work on an English project together, they realize something about themselves and the misgivings of others.   
  
**I Bleed Black  
Chapter One**  
  
Thirteen year old Uzumaki Naruto just one amongst the hundreds gathered at Konohagakure, yet for some reason (of which he had no knowledge) people spat upon him, scorned him and tried to make him feel down.   
  
Naruto did his best to ignore such things. He walked with his head held high and his smile still on his face.   
  
And why shouldn't he? There were hundreds of people here, why should he be singled out amongst the throng and hated above the rest? Sure there must be others that shared his predicament. Unfortunately, if there were others, Naruto did not meet them.   
  
He was a rather short boy, with sunshine golden hair and bright sea-blue eyes. He skin was tanned from many days he spent outside, usually reading some book or another beneath a tree. If there was one thing that Naruto loved above all else – it was Nature. He wasn't all that fond of humans, but the rest of Nature was a Godsend for him. Beneath an old oak, comfortably resting upon its roots, with a good book in hand, Naruto could forget about the hatred of others and instead tune into the predicaments that had come across fictional characters that he sometimes found himself relating to.   
  
It was on one such day, when he was beneath an oak and reading a book called _The Prince and the Pauper_ by Mark Twain when he first met the one person that would acknowledge his existence. Of course, such acknowledgement did not come right away.   
  
That person was the polar opposite of our hero, with raven-black hair and dark coal-eyes; with pale skin and an emotionless expression. This boy was Uchiha Sasuke. Naruto had only seen him a few times, as they shared most of their classes together, but had never really talked to said boy before.   
  
Sasuke was the one that approached him first; enticed with curiosity about what the blonde was reading. Usually, in order to escape the girls that swooned whenever he breathed, Sasuke would spend his time in the library for the peace and quiet that he needed. Unfortunately, the library was currently under reconstruction and no students were allowed inside, so Sasuke was looking for another spot in which he could spend some time in peace (besides his stuffy dorm room) when he spotted Naruto.   
  
"What are you reading?" he asked, getting straight to the point. Sasuke wasn't one to dodge around the bush.   
  
"_The Prince and the Pauper_, if you have to know," Naruto grumbled, not even knowing who was speaking to him. He hated being disturbed in his reading, much like Sasuke did, but neither knew that they were alike in any way at the current moment.   
  
Sasuke smiled. "_The Prince and the Pauper_, eh?" he asked softly, unaware that he was speaking aloud.   
  
"Yes, if you must know!" Naruto snapped, looking up for the first time. He glared at the other boy, who merely stared back expressionlessly.   
  
"What part are you up to?" Sasuke inquired, taking a seat next to the blonde.   
  
"I'm just at the part where Edward Tudor is meeting Sir Myles," Naruto replied, turning the page.   
  
"Sir Myles is one of my favorite characters!" Sasuke told him. He was surprised at himself, actually. Normally it took more than a few answers for him to "open up" to anyone, but around the blonde, his guard was dropped. He just felt calmer, more at ease, around him. It was unexplainable.   
  
"Really?" Naruto asked. "I've always liked Tom Canty best, but Sir Myles was a close second."  
  
"Why do you like Tom, because he's the victim?"  
  
"No… it's more because he's a lot like me."  
  
"Don't tell me you have an abusive father…" Sasuke warned.  
  
Naruto laughed._ I actually don't have any parents_, he thought to himself, but when he answered aloud, he said, "No, nothing like that. It's because no matter what life throws his way – Tom never loses sight of himself. He doesn't want to be King; he just wants to be acknowledged by someone. Yeah… something like that."  
  
Sasuke nodded. He leaned back against the tree and pulled out his own book, which was none other than Mark Twain's _The Adventures of Tom Sawyer_.   
  
Naruto ogled at the book for a moment. "I've always wanted to read that," he muttered to himself. He was unaware that Sasuke was listening to him.   
  
"This was the first Mark Twain book I ever read," Sasuke confessed.   
  
"Really? The first one I read was _A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court_ and I never had a chance to read about Tom."  
  
"Why not? It's a common book."  
  
"Just never had the time."  
  
All of the sudden, the two boys looked up as they heard a slight rumbling in the ground. The rumbling grew louder and louder and it was heading straight towards them.   
  
"What's that?" Naruto asked. Fear was evident in his blue eyes.   
  
Sasuke was about to answer when the shout of "SASUKE-KUN!" roared towards them. He groaned instead, his face becoming unreadable once more. Before he could turn to Naruto to ask him his name, the blonde had disappeared. Looking around for the boy, Sasuke jumped up… and was tackled to the ground before he could take a step by his overbearing fan club. He didn't even know any of the girls' names… why him?  
  
The next day, Naruto stepped into his Lit Class – which meant he had a full two hours with Iruka-sensei, his teacher. He was the first one to arrive. Walking to the back of the class, he sat down in his usual corner seat. Even though he loved the Lit Class, he found that, if he sat anywhere else, people would forcibly make him move. It was better just to sit back here and save the time. Sitting down, he opened his notebook and began to write.   
  
Naruto loved to write poetry, that and song lyrics. In fact, if there was something that he had to say he was good at – it would be poetry. Slowly uncapping a pen, he put the tip to the paper, allowing the words to just flow out from wherever they came from.   
  
_Are you here to save me?  
Or throw me out the door?  
The rain, it patters gently  
Compared to the insults you pour  
  
I was born under this lamppost  
Then set out to make a name  
I grew up on the road, always going far  
How did we end up here again?  
  
I have nowhere to turn (nowhere to turn)  
Its all about the crash and burn  
I see my death, I see my fall  
I'll crash, I'll burn, fearing tomorrow's dawn  
  
I'm worthless, fallen, turned into Shadow  
I'm dizzy and in pain, can't think, can't breath  
My heart is stone, iced in solitude  
My hair is soaking wet, my tears disappear  
  
Are you here to save me?  
Or is your love something I dreamed?_

_ I don't care if you don't think I exist  
I'll just sit here and slit my wrists  
The pain, its blinding me –   
Maybe I wasn't supposed to fall_

_ It's not too late to save me  
It's not too late to care  
It's not too late to grab my hand  
Before I fall into despair_

_ I have nowhere to turn (nowhere to turn)  
It's all about the crash and burn (crash and burn)  
I see my death, I see my fall  
I'll crash, I'll burn, fearing tomorrow's dawn_

Looking at his poetry, Naruto felt a sudden rage fill him. He capped the pen, slamming it onto his desk. Grabbing the paper, he balled it up and threw it before hiding his face in his arms.   
  
It hurt.   
  
The stares.  
  
The hate.  
  
The pain of silence and solitude.  
  
The pain of knowing that nobody needs you.  
  
That no one would care if you didn't exist.   
  
It hurt.   
  
When Naruto had thrown the paper, Sasuke was just walking into class. It hit his shoulder and he looked down at the balled up thing before looking up at where it came from. Seeing Naruto made him pick it up, for unknown reasons - maybe it was because the projectile didn't seem to be aimed for him, it was just aimed to get rid of. He slowly unfolded it as he took his seat, which was the corner seat opposite of Naruto's.   
  
Dropping his bookbag to the floor, he began to read what was scrawled messily down. And he realized something. Something that maybe not even Naruto knew about.   
  
Sasuke realized that Naruto had talent.   
  
He was contemplating what to do – whether he should approach Naruto or not – when the rest of the class filed in. Iruka-sensei was the last one in, as he held the door for their Art Teacher, Kakashi. Many of the students wondered about this. Iruka noticed their expressions. He called for quiet. Looking around, he smiled to himself.   
  
"All right, class," he called out. The class, even Naruto and Sasuke, paid attention to the man. "Your Art and Literature Classes will be joining in order to form an all-term project. I will hand out the first part of it in just a moment. Kakashi-sensei and I have been working on this for a while, and we have partnered you up. Yes, this is a partner project." He paused, holding a stack of papers in his hand. "And before you ask… there will be _no_ changes in our decision."  
  
A lot of moans could be heard throughout the classroom. Iruka calmly handed out the papers. When Sasuke got his, he looked down and read.   
  
**Lit/Art Project  
  
This project is for you to find out abut your partner. Through the works of art, poetry, storytelling, journalism and drama, you will learn all there is to know about your partner.   
  
I.Before You Get to Know Them  
  
-Draw a portrait of your partner without having asked them anything about themselves. Relate them to what you think of them.   
  
-Write a short summary about your partner, how you and the world views them.  
  
-Find a character from a story or a play that you think acts like your partner  
  
Remember, this is an all term project. The first part will be due a week after the assignment is given. The day this part is due is the day that you will receive your next assignment.   
  
Umino Iruka  
Hatake Kakashi  
**  
"All right, I will now be telling you who your partners are," Iruka said. The class paid close attention.   
  
"Sakura and Ino."  
  
"Hinata and Neji."  
  
"Chouji and Shikamaru."  
  
"Kiba and Shino."  
  
"Naruto and Sasuke."  
  
Naruto's head snapped up, as he had been doodling on the assignment paper. Sasuke? The guy with the fanclub? This was definitely going to be a bitch. Iruka went through the rest of the list.  
  
"All right, get together with your partner."  
  
Sasuke and Naruto moved closer to each other, meeting in the middle of the room. Sasuke was wondering what he should say to Naruto. It was obvious that he should say something, but Sasuke wasn't a conversationalist.  
  
Naruto, on the other hand, was wondering about the characters in the new manga he was reading and whether they would be okay. He hated the author for ending where she did and at the same time, loved her for creating the story. He accidentally ran into Sasuke, which didn't help Sasuke's nerves. The dark-haired boy glared down at the blonde.   
  
"Gomen nasai," Naruto said apologetically, grinning and rubbing the back of his head. "That was an accident. Sorry!"  
  
"Hn."  
  
"So… shall we start on this thing?" Naruto asked.  
  
"Hn."  
  
"Can you say something else?"  
  
Sasuke didn't even bother answering as he took a seat and pulled out his sketchpad. He was a good artist. He wondered if Naruto was. It was a school for art and writing, but he wasn't entirely sure about the abilities of everybody here.   
  
His pencil ran over the paper quickly, creating the lines that were to become his partner. He could tell that his partner was doing the same. Sasuke just allowed the pencil to create the drawing, bringing his memories of the boy to still life in the picture. After an hour, Sasuke deemed himself complete.   
  
His picture showed Naruto leaning against a tree, grinning at whoever was looking at it. In his hand was a book, but you couldn't tell what the title was. The tree made even more shadings on his face than Sasuke had originally intended. All in all, it showed the sunshine Naruto that he was used to seeing around campus. Looking closer, he realized that he had brought something to paper as well.  
  
Sadness.   
  
But he didn't know why… or where it had come from. He just knew that the smile in his picture looked forced. His eyes didn't twinkle as much as they should have. Sasuke wondered how the hell he had drawn that when he had never noticed that in real life. Looking at the blonde now, he noticed it – a little bit, for the blonde was obviously a good actor. Instead of scorning Kakashi and Iruka, like he normally would have been, Sasuke found himself thanking them for this opportunity in his head.   
  
Naruto looked down at his drawing. He had finally completed it. It was most definitely a dark sketch. The Uchiha was sitting in his seat, elbows on the desk with his fingers entwined in front of him. He rested his head lightly on his fingers, staring off into space. That, in and of itself, wasn't too dark, but the shading that he had done made it seem much more worrisome. Almost as though it were raining over the pale teenager.   
  
Naruto had the strong desire to lighten the picture, so he drew half a dozen fangirls in the background, who were looking kind of depressed that Sasuke was ignoring them. Naruto couldn't help snickering at this picture. He looked up at Sasuke, to notice that the boy was staring at him.   
  
"Hey, what did you draw of me?" he asked, bouncing closer, looking over the boy's shoulder. Sasuke blushed when Naruto did this. He wasn't the kind of kid that liked to show off his talents in art. Anything else, why not? But art was something more private for him.   
  
However he couldn't hide the picture since Naruto had already saw it. Naruto looked at the sketch of him and a gentle smile graced his features. "I like it," he murmured softly.   
  
Sasuke grabbed Naruto's sketchbook before the boy could do anything to stop him. He looked at the page it was open to – which was his picture (of course) and found himself trying to hold back laughs. The girls' expressions were just too much for him as the classroom rang with a laughter they all hadn't heard before.   
  
Looking around, the students finally saw Sasuke, who was clutching his sides and _actually_ _laughing_.   
  
Half of them, including Iruka and Kakashi, looked as though they were about to have a heart attack. The other half (which was, of course, his fanclub) looked as though they wanted to slaughter Naruto.   
  
Naruto just blushed and hid himself behind Sasuke's sketchbook.   
  
_Hiya, minna-san. What do you think of this chapter? I know that Sasuke was a little OOC, but whatever. This fic is AU… no magick/ninja stuff. Just two thirteen-year-old boys going through life. Yeah… I'm gonna have so much fun with this. That particular poem is called "Crash and Burn". I wrote it one day out of the blue and kept it around because I liked it.   
  
So don't steal it, okay?  
  
Arigatou!  
  
-Kyuubi-chan- _


	2. Is it Mine?

**Disclaimer**: Naruto is not mine  
  
**Claimer**: All the Songs/Poems you will find in the chapters ARE MINE! NO TOUCHIES!!! NO! bah…  
  
**Pairings**: SasuNaru… do you really expect something different from me? Come on…  
  
**Summary**: Uzumaki Naruto is a poet. Uchiha Sasuke is an artist. When both of them are forced to work on an English project together, they realize something about themselves and the misgivings of others.   
  
**I Bleed Black  
Chapter Two**  
  
Naruto heard the bell ring for the class. He made his way out of the room as quickly as he could. Absentminded as he was, he forgot his sketchbook (which also held a great number of his poems to accompany the drawings) behind in Sasuke's possession.   
  
Naruto, embarrassed by all the stares he had been getting during Lit, ran as quickly as he could towards his dorm room. His roommate looked at him strangely as he came in and slammed the door behind him, leaning against it.   
  
Kyubi was an upperclassman, a year ahead of Naruto, but they still had been sharing the same dormroom for what seemed like ages.   
  
"Anything wrong, Naruto?" Kyubi asked, looking up from his computer as the boy rushed in.   
  
"I hate my classmates!" Naruto grumbled.   
  
"Come on, don't you ever get tired of saying that?" the blonde's roommate asked. "You've been saying that everyday since you started coming to Konohagakure."  
  
"Gomen…" Naruto muttered.   
  
"It's okay, Naru-chan," Kyubi smiled. "I was being sarcastic." He paused, saving the document he was writing on his computer. "Now, what happened today?"  
  
Naruto sighed, flinging his bookbag on the ground near his desk. He idly sat on his desk for a moment before answering. "We got assigned a partner project in Lit today, and since it was part of our Art class too… we were told to draw our partner in how we saw them." The blonde paused. Kyubi was like a big brother to him, but Naruto wasn't really sure why he was so afraid of the scene that he had witnessed back in class. "Do you know Uchiha Sasuke?"   
  
Kyubi thought for a second, before nodded. "I had to tutor him last year in math. Expressionless kid, isn't he?"  
  
"That's the thing. When he saw what I drew, he just began laughing, hysterically! It was really freaky," Naruto mumbled. He looked at his computer, checking his email. One new email. It was from an unknown person. Opening it, he began to shake with anger as he read.   
  
**I don't understand why a fucking loser like you was paired up with Sasuke. You don't deserve to be anywhere near him. NO ONE LIKES YOU, YOU FUCKING FREAK. Take my advice, Uzumaki, and stay away from Sasuke. If you go near him again, the consequences will be… painful. Don't think this is a joke. I'm serious. You will fucking die if you go near Sasuke again.   
**  
"Fucking assholes!" Naruto murmured to himself, deleting the email. "I'm sick of getting these emails!"  
  
Kyubi leaned back in his chair, looking over at Naruto. "You got _another_ threatening letter?" he asked.   
  
Naruto nodded.   
  
"Jeez, some people are just so bothersome," Kyubi grumbled. He grinned before continuing. "Hey, Naru-chan, you want me to kill 'em in writing for you. I do it very well."  
  
Naruto grinned, feeling his mood lightening already. Kyubi was a writer, much like Naruto. Instead of poetry, however, he was best at short stories. Most of his short stories were gory, but Kyubi found that the gore gave him a release. His fictional enemies were always modeled after his real life ones. Although he wasn't the type to hurt anyone, unless given proper reasoning, one wouldn't know that from his writing.   
  
Meanwhile, Sasuke was sitting at the oak tree he had first talked to Naruto at. He looked at the sketchbook that Naruto had left behind, staring at one of the pictures. It showed a teenage boy (who bore a lot of resemblance to Naruto himself) with a hole in his chest, blood seeping from that how. In the boy's hand was a gun. The walls around him were splattered in the red substance as well.   
  
In messy handwriting, the boy had written a poem next to it. Sasuke grinned at he read it. Not because it was a very "happy" poem, but because he liked Naruto's poetry. He noticed that this poem, like the other, was simply untitled.   
  
_ I don't have a history  
My past is some old mystery  
I don't know what happened before  
Do I really care anymore?   
Can't I be someone other than me?  
Someone you haven't made me out to be  
You've called me bitch, called me whore  
I got my gun and I'm knocking at your door  
And I put my gun up to my chest  
One shot – its over – I can get some rest  
  
Dropping blood… stains the walls…  
Is it mine…?  
Can it tell me all that I wanna know?  
Can it show me where I need to go?  
  
Yeah, you stare at me in disbelief  
Call 9-1-1 and wish for relief  
I laugh, choke, and spit blood from my throat  
Letting it stain my treasured trenchcoat  
Each and everyday is too much for me  
So I'll cry, I'll die, isn't this what you wanted to see?  
Stop your shrieks, this is what you told me to do  
It's not suicide when the murderer's you  
The pain is building behind my eyes  
Will it take me off to Paradise?  
Sirens scream and flashing lights  
Interrupt the silence of the night  
I'll go and never return  
Leaving you with a lesson unlearned  
And I'll sing:  
  
Dropping blood… stains the walls…  
Is it mine…?  
Can it tell me all that I wanna know?  
Can it show me where I need to go?  
  
I walk down Heaven's way  
Just like I did back in the day  
That was before I knew   
How much of me was in you  
You swear you hate my soul  
Saying I was cold – saying I was coal  
Each day and all day  
I go down the path but I don't pray  
God kicked me out of Heaven and said  
I'd wake up in a hospital bed  
I was singing:  
  
Dropping blood… stains the walls…  
Is it mine…?  
Can it tell me what I want to know?  
Can it tell me where I need to go?  
  
I wake up and I see you there  
Sleeping without a care  
Wouldn't you love to know what I do?  
Even if you hate me, I'll always love you  
So cold, your lips on mine  
So tired, wasting my time  
Blood stains my fingertips now  
Makes me wonder why and how  
I remember being so sad  
Shooting the gun that my father had  
Don't you see? Everything in me is dead  
Yet somehow, my blood runs red  
Like yours…?  
Am I alive…?  
Why didn't I die…?  
I should be dead  
I shot me dead  
Why aren't I dead…?  
Guess it's 'cause my blood runs red  
_  
Sasuke smirked slightly, kindly almost, when he finished reading the poem. He has talent, he thought. So why does he always act like an idiot?  
  
**_FLASHBACK_** _((yes… the flashbacks because I don't know what else to write so I shall torture you all with irrelevant pass actions. MWA HAA HAA))  
  
At the age of eleven, students were admitted into Konohagakure, the prestigious school of academics, but even more famous for its athletics and arts. Sasuke had always wanted to come here. This school was the place where people who were serious about studying their different subjects would be. He would have nice… peace… and quiet.   
  
At his old school, Sasuke had been hounded by both girls and boys. He had hoped it would be different in his new school.   
  
… it wasn't.   
  
The first day of classes, Sasuke had stepped into a Creative Writing class, which was about half and half in each gender. He had arrived early, with only one other boy there: a blonde kid who was shorter than Sasuke and had innocent, round blue eyes. Sasuke's immediate reaction to seeing the boy was to stay far, far away, as his peers would be nothing but trouble.   
  
The blonde boy, on the other hand, was friendly. He walked over to Sasuke.   
  
"Hi, I'm Uzumaki Naruto," he said with a wide grin on his tanned face. "What's your name?"  
  
Sasuke didn't answer right away. He seemed to be contemplating what he should do. His face was expressionless. His voice was cold when he spoke. "Get away from me, I don't want to talk to the likes of you!" he snapped, icily.   
  
The blonde looked hurt, almost as though he were betrayed, although they had never met. Sasuke just liked to be left alone, not wanting to be bothered by other people. The response he had given Naruto's kindness was a conditioned response, normally reserved for fangirls (and fanboys, because we all know they exist!), however Sasuke had used it on a person who was actually being nice to him. Sasuke growled in his head. The only person that had ever truly been nice to him was his mother and she had died of leukemia two months before. So now Sasuke felt that he was basically alone.   
  
He looked at the blonde, who had since wondered off. His eyes still blank, mouth still smiling. Sasuke wondered how the hell Naruto could smile like that, when it was obvious he wanted to frown.  
  
It annoyed Sasuke for some reason. He didn't know why. He knew nothing about this boy, but already, it annoyed him.  
  
The rest of the class filed in. Then the teacher, Jiraiya-sensei, asked them their names. When he got to Naruto, the blonde jumped onto his desk, sticking his fist in the air.   
  
"UZUMAKI NARUTO!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. Since they were also required to say something about themselves, Naruto continued. "I love Ramen… I hate the three minutes it takes to make ramen… I love miso ramen the best… but I also like chicken ramen a lot too."  
  
Sasuke, as well as the rest of the class, stared, open-mouthed at Naruto. Jiraiya, at the front, just smirked to himself and muttered, "Interesting guy," although only a few people heard it. Sasuke was one of those people.   
  
When it was finally Sasuke's turn, he glared at the class and said, "Uchiha Sasuke." He was silent after that.  
  
"Do you have any likes or dislikes?" Jiraiya prodded.   
  
"No."  
  
"Then why are you here."  
  
"Because I am."  
  
"You're rebellious, aren't you?"  
  
"Hn."  
  
It wasn't that Sasuke was rebellious. It was more that he was just quiet. He didn't like people and he wished they didn't like him. Unfortunately, it was usually the opposite.  
_  
**_END FLASHBACK_**  
  
Sasuke looked at the drawing and poem one more time before heading back to his dorm. His dormmate, Shikamaru, looked up as he entered but, aside from that, didn't do anything but turn back to the small TV the two boys shared. Sasuke took a look at what Shikamaru was watching. It didn't look too good. Going over to his bed, he dropped his bookbag and flopped onto the soft mattress.   
  
Shikamaru just looked at him, turning down the volume. Sasuke was soon fast asleep.   
  
_Okay, minna-san! What did you think of that for the second chapter? How'd you like the poem? Bah… its not really a poem, but lyrics to a song I'm writing. I'm still working out the tabs on my guitar. I really need an electric guitar. This song just doesn't fit acoustics very well. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. The song is called "Is it Mine?" and I'll copyright it Monkeypox Mafia, because that's my band.   
  
Love ya all!  
  
Kyuubi-chan_


	3. Take a Moment

**Disclaimer**: I don't and never will own any part of anything except for what I've created. But seeing as how I'm writing on fanfiction.net, and not fictionpress.net, I think that I'm sufficiently not the owner of Naruto.   
  
However, I could just be fooling you all  
  
**Pairings**: SasuNaruSasu. Don't like, don't read. Not my problem if you do, so don't review saying some stupid bullshit about how Naruto and Sasuke could never be together. I don't want to hear it. Frankly, I see one thing, and those who see something else, see something else. Whatever floats your boat and don't sink mine. ((This rant is directed to no one in particular… have fun reading))  
  
**Rating**: PG-13  
  
**I Bleed Black  
Chapter Three**  
  
Naruto looked though his book bag the next morning, almost working himself into a panic. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit," he kept muttered as he tore apart his half of the room.   
  
"It's gone!" the blonde wailed loudly. "Why?"  
  
Kyubi looked over at him from his bed. "What the _fuck_ are you going on about this early in the goddamn morning?" he growled.   
  
Naruto stared at him. "My sketchbook's gone. And it had all of my fucking poems in it," he told him, and began to wail uncontrollably. "What am I going to do? I had my poems in there. I had my drawings in there! Oh… _fuck_! I had my homework in there!"  
  
Kyubi just stared at him. Not even bothering to say anything, he tucked his pillow over his ears and was trying to back to sleep. Naruto looked at the clock and with another screaming curse, grabbed the jacket to his school uniform and ran out of his dorm.   
  
Kyubi glanced after him sleepily. "Kids these days," he mumbled before falling back into a dreamless sleep.  
  
Naruto managed to get to his Lit class, only two minutes late. "Gomen nasai, Iruka-sensei!" he told the man as he flew in. Iruka just looked at him disapprovingly before telling the boy to go to his seat.   
  
On the way to the back of the room, one of the students put their foot out. Naruto, not seeing it, tripped and fell. He turned back around, trying to catch the culprit but couldn't. As he was standing up, the entire class was laughing at him, except for two people: Sasuke and a girl named Hinata. Amidst the laughing faces, Naruto didn't notice them. His cheeks burned with shame and embarrassment as he made his way quickly to his seat.   
  
He sat down quickly and stared at the top of his desk. He could feel tears of humiliation burning in his eyes, but he kept them back. He didn't feel like making a reply or some smartass comeback. The endless taunts, the feet placed out to trip him, the scorn of everyone. It was all beginning to get to the young boy. He hated it. He hated them.   
  
Everybody.   
  
He didn't hear Iruka-sensei tell them to work on their projects, so instead of meeting Sasuke halfway, the black-haired boy had to come all the way across the classroom to meet up with him.   
  
Sasuke tried to get Naruto's attention several different ways. He had called his name repeatedly, waved a hand in front of his face and slammed his hand down on the desk in front of the blonde. Nothing was working. Finally, Sasuke rummaged in his bookbag, pulling out the boy's sketchbook. He tapped Naruto lightly on the head with it.   
  
Naruto immediately pulled out of his stupor.  
  
"Huh… what are you doing over here?" he asked.   
  
Sasuke shook his head. "Maybe there's a reason you're a deadlast," he teased. "We have a project to do, and here's your sketchbook. You left it in class yesterday."  
  
Naruto's face immediately brightened when he saw the sketchbook. He hugged it to his chest, muttering about how much he had missed it and how bad the sketchbook was to not follow Naruto home like it normally did.   
  
Sasuke just raised an eyebrow at these antics, but preferred not to comment.   
  
"So… the rest of the project that we have is pretty much by ourselves," Naruto said. "What are you doing over here?"  
  
"I was returning your sketchbook, _dobe_," Sasuke snapped, not liking Naruto's change of moods. Yesterday, the two hadn't minded sitting next to each other but sometime inbetween yesterday and today, something had Naruto a lot more tense.   
  
"Thank you," Naruto replied in a dead voice, then turned back to his paper, beginning to write. He was actually doing his work for once.   
  
Sasuke didn't move. Instead he pulled out his own notebook and began working.   
  
_How does the world look at Uzumaki Naruto? Simple… everyone dislikes him, with the exception of a few people. It's admirable, actually. Naruto always smiles and acts like he doesn't care. I don't think that I would ever be like that. Smiling like that if I was tripping in the hallways everyday, called all sorts of names and just generally scorned.  
  
If I had to compare Naruto to a person in a book or a play, then I would most definitely say that he is Kindaichi from The Kindaichi Case Files. Even though Kindaichi is hated by his classmates and called "Kin-dorky" as a nickname, he's actually really smart. Naruto has talent in several things, but no one wants to look at him. I don't know why.  
  
_ Sasuke looked at his paper. Glancing back at his sketchbook, which lay on his desk, he realized that he was done his project for the week. Looking over at Naruto, he saw the boy furiously writing.   
  
Naruto stopped writing. He looked down at his finished product.   
  
_Uchiha Sasuke is viewed as a really smart person, who gets straight A's and has several fanclubs. I don't think that he likes them though, as he's always hiding out from them. He seems to be a pretty nice guy, although he acts like a jerk most of the time. I always wondered why that is.   
  
To compare him to a character in a book or a play? Are you insane? But if I truly had to, I would say that he's Edward Tudor from the Prince and the Pauper. Arrogant, stuck-up, but that was just probably how he was raised. He's a loner, mostly. But that's about all I know about him.   
_  
Naruto stared at it. It sounded stupid, but he couldn't really do anything about it. As soon as the bell rang, he ran out of class again. This time, he remembered all of his books. Slowly walking towards his dormroom on the other side of campus, since he had a period off right now before he had to go to Art, the blonde was stopped by a group of people on the way.   
  
"We warned you, you fucking asshole," one of the people said. Naruto didn't recognize anyone here, they were all upperclassmen, though. He knew that much.  
  
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked. He tried to get past them, but one of the girls there punched him in the gut. Naruto hissed in pain, clutching his stomach as he fell to the ground. She smirked down at him. She grabbed a handful of his hair, pulling him off the ground. "We told you not to go near Sasuke."  
  
Naruto winced as he felt the roots of his hair trying to detach from his skull. The girl punched him in the face. Naruto fell to the ground. He shaking pushed himself off the ground, but not before someone else – a person he didn't know – kicked him in the side, flipping him onto his back. Naruto winced.   
  
He could feel blood rising in his throat. Rolling onto his stomach, he picked his head up and spit out a mouthful of blood.   
  
"Already tired?" one of them said, kicking him again. Naruto clamped his teeth shut, trying not to yell at them. He knew that fighting back was useless – he had been suffering from bullying since he was a young boy.  
  
A boy grabbed his neck, hard enough to bruise. "Aww… don't tell me that you're finished quiet yet," he sneered. He shoved Naruto into a wall of the building. Naruto hit the corner of the building and gave a cry of pain, sinking to the ground. Black spots showed themselves before his vision.   
  
All of the sudden, someone was screaming at the group to get away. He couldn't distinguish the words, as his ears didn't seem to be working. The group listened to whoever was yelling.   
  
Naruto looked up, surprised to see Sasuke. Instead of answering the boy's inquiries about if he was okay, Naruto leaned over and spit blood from his mouth. He wobbly got to his feet, trying to walk.   
  
"Get away from me!" he shouted at the boy, pushing off Sasuke's helping hands. He managed to get a few steps away from the building before he crashed down to the ground again.  
  
Sasuke was immediately at his side. "Naruto!" he shouted at the boy. Naruto couldn't see anything straight.   
  
"Why…" Naruto managed to get out before unconsciousness took him over.   
  
Sasuke looked at the boy, concerned. He picked up Naruto, one hand behind his back and the other under his knees. Balancing Naruto's bookbag on the boy's stomach for the time being, Sasuke made a beeline for the infirmary on campus. (1)  
  
When they got there, the nurse, Tsunade told Sasuke to put him on a bed. Despite the nurse telling him to go away, Sasuke didn't. She finally allowed him to stay on the condition that he would be quiet and allow Naruto to rest.   
  
Sasuke agreed and waited for the blonde to wake up. He only had to wait about a half an hour.   
  
"Naruto… are you okay?" he immediately asked.   
  
Naruto sat up, looking around him. Why was he here? All of the sudden, the memories of the bullying came back to him. He shoved the blankets back and stood up.   
  
"You shouldn't get up yet – Tsunade-sama said that you might have broken a few ribs," Sasuke warned.   
  
Not really connecting that it wasn't his subconscious talking and instead that it was Sasuke, Naruto muttered, "So? Happens all the time."  
  
Sasuke looked at the boy, his eyes full of anger. "What do you mean, it happens all the time?"  
  
Naruto turned around and saw Sasuke. _Oh, fuck_, he thought as he realized for the first time that he wasn't alone. "Ahahaha," Naruto said, putting his grin on his face and rubbing the back of his head. "Nothing, nothing, nothing. You shouldn't concern yourself with little ol' me, I'll be fine, Sasuke-kun."  
  
Sasuke shook his head and handed the boy his bookbag. "Here, I'll walk you back to your dorm."  
  
"No need to do that."  
  
"It wasn't an offer."  
  
"What do you mean, then?"  
  
"I'm walking you back to your dorm whether you like it or not."  
  
"Oh."  
  
After that, Naruto was pretty silent. He and Sasuke walked back to his dorm. Kyubi answered the door to the furious knocking, as Naruto had left his keys on his desk that morning. One look at Naruto and the redhead ushered the two in. He ordered Naruto to get to bed. Naruto reluctantly agreed.   
  
"Kyubi-sama?" Sasuke asked softly, remembering the boy who had tutored him.   
  
"Ah, it's Sasuke-kun!" Kyubi said, enveloping the boy in a hug. "I haven't seen you around for ages. How have you been?"  
  
"Good…" Sasuke said, unable to get free of Kyubi's grasp. He sighed, and just relaxed his body. They heard the even breathing that told them that Naruto had finally fallen asleep.  
  
"Thank you for bringing Naruto here," Kyubi said.   
  
"Do you know who did this?" Sasuke asked.   
  
"I only have a guess, but nothing sure."  
  
"Who do you think it is?"  
  
"Orochimaru and his gang. My guess is there also the one's that have been sending the emails to Naruto," Kyubi answered, then covered his mouth. He hadn't meant for the last part to slip.   
  
"What emails?"  
  
Kyubi rummaged through the papers on his desk. He knew that he had printed out one of the emails by accident, just to see if he could analyze it. This was a writing school, so everyone had a different style, and therefore he thought he could trace it. He hadn't had much time to work on it.   
  
As he was searching through his papers, a piece of paper fell to the floor. Sasuke leaned over and picked it up, unconsciously looking at it. It was a poem. He decided there would be no harm in reading it. He noticed the title was "Take a Moment," and this was typed, so he couldn't tell if it was Naruto's or not. Slowly, he read it.  
  
_ Take a moment from your past  
Breathe it in and make it last  
Today is tomorrow and yesterday  
Take your pick, bring it my way  
Oooh, yeah, freedom is remembering  
The worlds of men and beast  
Free to live under the sky  
Free to be whatever you want  
Fly away – take a moment just to see  
What will become of you and me  
I lay down my heart for you here  
Take me away – so far away  
Will we see the grand scheme  
Of what lies beyond our dreams  
The cosmos shine bright, so terrible  
That we can only imagine the Grand Design  
Nothing is coincidence  
Don't believe, that's your right  
Can you fly me away from here?  
Take a moment to dry your tears  
Cuz I'm flying on my own wings  
My love, I'll help you to sing  
Dance and since with the grace of One  
When the dawn shows its light again  
Be all that you want to be  
At dawn, just take a moment  
Your life's finally begun  
_  
Sasuke stared at it. It was so different from the others he had read, and yet strangely the same. There still echoed loneliness, and the search for something better.   
  
"Kyubi-sama," Sasuke mumbled.   
  
"Hn?" Kyubi asked, as he was still looking through his chaotic desk.   
  
"Did you write this?" Sasuke wanted to know. He showed Kyubi the poem.  
  
"Nope, that's Naruto's work. I was trying to get him to enter a contest, but he didn't want to," he looked back on his desk and then suddenly help up a paper and triumphantly shouted, "Ah-ha!"  
  
He handed a new paper to Sasuke. Before Sasuke was able to read it, Kyubi looked at him straight in the eye. "Naruto would kill me for showing you this, so this stays between us, understand?" he asked.   
  
Sasuke nodded. He looked down at the paper. It was from an anonymous person.   
  
**Uzumaki – do you even know why you exist? It was lucky your dormmate was able to get to you so soon after we left you, but do you actually think he cares? News flash – he doesn't care. Nobody cares. You should just die, in fact – you will die. Next time we come after you, be ready to face the Reaper. If you don't want to die, you fucking dumbass, then I suggest that you stay away from Uchiha Sasuke. We saw you two sitting next to each other in class. Why would you want to taint our perfect Sasuke-kun with your slimy presence? Heed our warnings, dork, or we may really kill you.  
**  
Sasuke's hands were shaking as he read it. Naruto was getting beat up… because of _Sasuke_? This was too much. This was really too fucking much. And since the letter was anonymous, that meant that he couldn't figure out who it was and kick their ass. He narrowed his eyes and crunched the paper up in their first.   
  
Kyubi looked at Sasuke's reaction in hidden amusement. It seemed like Naruto had finally found someone who cared about him. Sure, the person was indirectly the source of his pain, but Kyubi had a feeling that Sasuke could heal Naruto much more than Kyubi could.   
  
"Please look out for him," Kyubi told Sasuke and left.   
  
Sasuke sat on Kyubi's chair, looking at Naruto. Of course he would look out for the dobe. This wasn't the first time, and with death threats in the mail, especially since they pertained to Sasuke himself, it was the least he could do.   
  
_Funny_, Sasuke thought. _I promised myself to cut off from the world, and here I am – taking care of the one person who wants nothing but to join it. _

**_Kyuubi-chan's Corner:_**

**_(1) Does anyone understand this saying? It supposedly means go really fast and in a straight line. But bees are kinda slow and they fly in weird designs. Stupid language.   
  
Wheee! How'd ya like chapter three, everyone? Okay, I have a big announcement to make. I know that my updates are normally very frequent, but this is my last update until after camp is over. That gives me three weeks. After camp is over, though, I'll be sure to give this my all so that I can have the rest of the chapters out fast.   
  
The poem, once again by me, was called Take a Moment. Just random thoughts flowing onto paper during lunchtime. What can I say? I was really bored when my friends were all suspended. Stupid pricks. Anyway, I love 'em all the same. Yeah, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'm sorry about the pause between now and later.   
  
Kyuubi-chan_**


	4. One Memory

**Disclaimer**: I don't and never will own any part of anything except for what I've created. But seeing as how I'm writing on fanfiction.net, and not fictionpress.net, I think that I'm sufficiently not the owner of Naruto.   
  
However, I could just be fooling you all  
  
**Pairings**: SasuNaruSasu. Don't like, don't read. Not my problem if you do, so don't review saying some stupid bullshit about how Naruto and Sasuke could never be together. I don't want to hear it. Frankly, I see one thing, and those who see something else, see something else. Whatever floats your boat and don't sink mine. ((This rant is directed to no one in particular… have fun reading))  
  
**Rating**: PG-13  
  
**I Bleed Black  
Chapter Four**  
  
The last embrace of the dreams were finally releasing the blonde from their grasp. He didn't want to leave. After all – when he was dreaming, everything was okay – everything was alright. He enjoyed being asleep. It meant that no one was hurt by his presence.   
  
He felt his eyes opening slowly and was startled to see who was staring back at him. What usually was Kyubi looking at him with concern was now replaced by none other than Uchiha Sasuke.   
  
"Am I dreaming?" he asked his room. A tired grin appeared on Sasuke's face. Naruto thought he was hallucinating, as it disappeared a moment later.   
  
"No," Sasuke's voice came out of the 'hallucination' of the boy. "You're not dreaming, Naruto."  
  
"Then you're Sasuke… kun…?" the blonde asked through squinted eyes. It was difficult to breathe.  
  
"Yes, I'm Sasuke, and you're Naruto."  
  
"You shouldn't be hanging out with me." Naruto grumbled. He tried to sit up and was hit by a hissing pain in his stomach. "Itai…" he moaned, but he wouldn't allow himself to fall back down.   
  
"Lay down, you idiot!" Sasuke yelled.   
  
"No…" Naruto snapped back, though he looked like he was having trouble breathing.   
  
Sasuke whacked him on the nose with a pillow, sending him onto the bed. "Those ribs of yours are never going to heal if you don't let them!"  
  
"But… I have class…" Naruto groaned.   
  
"I'll call the teacher and tell him that you can't come."  
  
"What about you – don't you have class?"  
  
"Dobe, I'm not leaving until I know you're okay."  
  
Naruto gritted his teeth and made his way clumsily to his feet whilst Sasuke was on the phone. The blonde was holding onto the upper bunk for support, whilst his other hand gripped his broken/sprained ribs.  
  
Sasuke slammed the phone down when he was finished with it. "What the fuck are you doing up, dobe?" he snarled.   
  
Naruto glared back, even though his face was lined with pain. "Don't act like you care, asshole," he growled. He limped over to his desk and sat down. Sasuke sat down in Kyubi's chair, surveying the room. His eyes darted to a picture that he found himself liking. It was on Naruto's half of the room. The two people in the picture was Naruto and Kyubi. Kyubi's red hair and golden eyes contrasted deeply next to Naruto's blonde locks and blue irises. The younger of the two boys was pressed up against the elder's side due to Kyubi's arm around Naruto's neck.   
  
Both boys were smiling, looking like they were having fun. However, Sasuke could still see the sadness that existed in Naruto's smile. The pain that shone briefly through the Uzumaki boy's happiness.  
  
Sasuke turned his eyes back to Naruto. The boy was furiously writing something on a piece of paper with a pencil. Sasuke, curious as to see what it could possibly be, tiptoed over and looked over the blonde's shoulder. He quickly read the poem that was written on the paper in front of him. Naruto seemed to be trying out different ideas for titles.   
  
_ The water drips  
Slow, constant  
Down the drain  
Washing away the memory  
One  
Two  
One  
Two  
Reminder of the one lost   
Whispers in the room  
Mutters in the air  
The form has crumpled  
The blood drips  
Slow, constant  
Down the drain  
Washing away the memory  
One  
Two  
One   
Two  
The one memory  
Is all that remains  
_  
"That's really good," Sasuke said aloud. Naruto grabbed the paper in his fist, wrinkling it and tearing it with one hand.  
  
"Who said that you could read it?" he snarled, standing up and facing Sasuke with angry blue orbs.   
  
Sasuke felt taken aback by the rage that filled the boy. What had he done to deserve this?  
  
Slowly, Naruto sat back down and closed his eyes. Sasuke, grabbing Kyubi's chair, sat opposite of him. "What's wrong?" the raven-haired kid asked, curious as to what could cause the blonde to be hot one moment and cold the next.  
  
"Don't you get it?" Naruto asked. His voice had changed. It was quieter, raspy as though he had to force himself to talk.   
  
"Get what?" Sasuke wanted to know.  
  
"All the pain… all the hurt… it's all because of you!" Naruto paused. "I wish I never had to be your partner, or didn't have the same classes as you. Then I wouldn't be hated. Then I wouldn't be beaten up like this. That group would have no reason to come near me. I could just write poetry like I always do and no one would bother with me. No one would care."  
  
Sasuke allowed Naruto to rant. He understood what the boy was feeling. Naruto had been bullied because of the Uchiha. It wasn't inconceivable that the boy harbored some grudge against Sasuke.   
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes… really!"  
  
"Can you say that without being in pain?" Sasuke smirked, noticing the grimace that had flittered over Naruto's features for a few seconds before vanishing.  
  
"YOU ASSHOLE!" Naruto screamed, launching himself at Sasuke. He managed to punch the Uchiha in the face before the boy had him pinned on the ground, knee digging into his back.   
  
Naruto glared upwards, struggling to move. He found that he couldn't and that only made him angrier. His cheek was smashed against the floorboards as he tried to move. Sasuke had him pinned down perfectly, and Naruto was immobile.   
  
"Now, be nice, Naruto-kun," Sasuke murmured in his ear before letting the blonde go.   
  
Naruto stood up, with some trouble due to new and old injuries, and was glaring with all his might at Sasuke.   
  
"Why are you here?" he asked softly, sitting down on his bed – which was the bottom bunk.  
  
"Because, Kyubi told me to stay here," Sasuke answered immediately.   
  
Naruto nodded, his face falling, but he forcefully brightened it a moment later. "Ah, that Kyubi – always being annoying like this," he said with a big smile. Sasuke hadn't missed the look of hurt in his eyes the moment before and was wondering what could make him smile like this right now. "You don't have to stay, you realize that, don't you?"  
  
"Actually, I do," Sasuke said in a soft voice.   
  
Naruto did a double take. "Stop lying, Sasuke, you don't want to be here."  
  
"Who says that?"  
  
"Who would want to be here with the Loser of the campus," Naruto bit back the sob that had been threatening to come out as he said this. "Who would want to be with the _monster_? Nobody in their right minds."  
  
"I like your poetry!" Sasuke blurted out before he could stop himself.   
  
Naruto stopped his rant half-way through when Sasuke had said this. "You serious?" he whispered.   
  
"Yeah. I read the first one by accident, when you threw it at my shoulder, but I really liked it. As well as all the others I've read."  
  
"You're a first."  
  
"Not so… Kyubi-sama likes them too!"  
  
"He only pretends."  
  
"No he doesn't!"  
  
"How would you know?"   
  
"He told me so!"  
  
"And? Do you believe everything everyone tells you?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Please, just leave."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Leave me alone."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because… this is my room! _And you're not welcome here anymore_!"   
  
"Why not? Because I actually thought of you as someone I could get along with?"  
  
"No… because you're lying. I despise liars!"   
  
Sasuke sighed. "The only one who's lying here, is you, Naruto," he muttered before he left.   
  
Naruto stared at the door, not really caring to follow the boy. He didn't want to think that Uchiha Sasuke was right. He didn't want to think that maybe someone would care if he disappeared. He didn't want anyone to care. That's why he was going to vanish. He didn't know when he would go, but it would be soon.   
  
And he wanted nobody to miss him.   
  
**_Kyuubi-chan's Corner:  
  
Well, I got to update before I thought I would. All that happened because on Tuesday, I fell off a galloping horse and was knocked unconscious. Put in a neckbrace and told I would have to stay on my back until further notice, I finally was able to get up today because nothing was wrong with me. So, since I don't return to camp until tomorrow, I decided to write, since it made time go quicker. I would be watching anime, if my brother wasn't watching his. GRAWR! Anyways, I'm okay now, which is why I'm returning to camp tomorrow. The doctors even said that I could ride a horse as early as tomorrow. As long as I take it easy, I should be fine. That's really good. Moving on.   
  
I don't know where this came from, but it just appeared it my head and I was like, what the hell? Might as well. The poem is "One Memory" and once again, is written by me. That happens to be one of my favorites for strange reasons. It holds depression, but there's still that mystery to it which I find hard to write. I like it. I hope all of you did. I won't update for another few weeks (unless I get into another accident… lets hope I don't. Hospital food SUCKS) so I put this one out for you. Wheee… I'm outta here, because I can be!_**


	5. Vanish

**Disclaimer**: I don't and never will own any part of anything except for what I've created. But seeing as how I'm writing on , and not , I think that I'm sufficiently not the owner of Naruto.   
  
However, I could just be fooling you all  
  
**Pairings**: SasuNaruSasu. Don't like, don't read. Not my problem if you do, so don't review saying some stupid bullshit about how Naruto and Sasuke could never be together. I don't want to hear it. Frankly, I see one thing, and those who see something else, see something else. Whatever floats your boat and don't sink mine. ((This rant is directed to no one in particular… have fun reading))  
  
**Rating**: PG-13  
  
**I Bleed Black  
Chapter Five**  
  
Naruto looked around, at the people hanging out in groups. He was by himself once again. He was always by himself. Although he felt a little bad about kicking Sasuke out of his dormroom, he made himself believe that it was for the better that Sasuke was gone. After all, anyone who hung around him would only find themselves worse off in the end. Sometimes it took a while for them to realize it, but it was always there. The pain that would soon spread.   
  
Naruto thought of himself as a virus, infecting people so that they would become depressed and die – just like all the others in his life had. He didn't want the same fate for Sasuke, so he had told the boy to stay away. He wondered how well that would work.   
  
A small part of the blonde wanted Sasuke to ignore his demands and help Naruto get through everything, but Naruto knew that was too dangerous. There was still Orochimaru and his gang to worry about. After all, Naruto could heal because he knew he could take anything that the gang could through at him. Naruto didn't know if Sasuke could.   
  
He curled up, leaning against a tree. The day was warm, so he had taken off the jacket that they had to wear and loosened his tie. Rolling up his pants legs, he found himself cooling off a little bit. He hated extreme temperatures. Especially when he was in his uniform. The uniform was hot and icky. It was hard not to hate it. He had a composition notebook with him as he sat there. Slowly, he uncapped a pen and began to write yet another poem.   
  
_What I do may not seem like I am doing right  
I know this as I stare up at the cloudy night  
I've realized the pain of others  
I've seen the hurt I cause  
That's why I want to vanish  
Become just a memory of something   
Maybe someone will remember me  
Maybe someone does care  
Maybe someone will try and save me  
All I know is that it won't matter  
I'll be gone  
I'll disappear  
Right before your eyes  
As you look through the haze of smoke that clouds your eyes  
I'll be gone  
I don't know where I'm going  
And I know I'm not coming back  
All the days that I've wondered  
If anyone would care  
I don't have to anymore  
And that's something I look forward to  
Do people out there see me?  
Do they see the real me?  
Do they watch me and wonder what I've been through  
I doubt it  
I am just a punching bag  
I am just abused  
Nobody out there gives a damn  
In fact, they all will rejoice  
I'm leaving, finally, so shout your joy  
I'm going away with the knife I hold  
I'll slit my wrists and then, voila   
I won't be here anymore_  
  
Naruto stared at what he wrote. He knew that he was the one that would have to disappear. He knew that the reasons that he was here were fake – were wrong. There were people who were searching for him. He would rather die than go with them. He would rather suicide than go with them.   
  
As a group of people passed him, he smiled to himself. If only to make it look like every other day. Naruto always had his vulpine grin on his face. That was what this school was used to seeing. That's what he knew he had to do for now. He had to make it look like nothing was wrong.   
  
But by tomorrow, he would be gone.   
  
It was the best choice.   
  
It was the only choice.   
  
Naruto knew that.   
  
And that was what scared him.   
  
He knew these things well enough that he knew this poem, which he affectionately named "Vanish" would be his suicide note. Now all he needed was the knife. He could always sneak into the kitchens on campus and steal one of there's. Although they hated him – hell, that might make them give him the knife faster.   
  
Slowly, the blonde boy stood up. After stretching out his limbs, he began to walk towards the kitchen.   
  
He conveniently forgot his notebook back by the tree as he left.   
  
And Sasuke was walking by a second later. Recognizing the notebook, he picked it up. Slowly, he looked around. Where was Naruto? This was his notebook. Sasuke was sure of it.   
  
Wanting to read more of the boy's poems, Sasuke opened the book. The pages landed on the most recent poem that the boy had written. Sasuke looked at the title.   
  
"Vanish?" he wondered softly to himself. His eyes scanned the poem. His eyes fell on the last four lines and he gasped to himself.  
  
_ I'm leaving, finally, so shout your joy  
I'm going away with the knife I hold  
I'll slit my wrists and then, voila   
I won't be here anymore_  
  
Why would anyone want Naruto dead? Sasuke still hadn't figured out the answer to half of his questions about the blonde, but he knew that he had to find the boy now. He wasn't sure what he felt about Naruto.   
  
Sasuke just wanted to learn more. He left his curiosity at that for the moment, not wanting to figure out anything else.   
  
Before he went running off in random directions, he decided to think.   
  
According to the poem (which Sasuke was going to trust) Naruto was going to slit his wrists. He would need a knife to do that, again according to the poem.   
  
Then it hit Sasuke. The kitchens. He ran as fast as he could towards the said place. When he was about three-quarters there, he hit someone and the two rolled for a few feet from the impact.   
  
Sasuke was the first one on his feet. He looked at whoever he had run into and saw that it was Naruto.   
  
"NARUTO!" Sasuke shouted, running to the boy's side. Naruto groaned from the impact and wearily got to his knees. When he saw who had run into him, his eyes went wide for a moment before his normal mask fell back into place.   
  
"Sasuke… what are you doing here?" Naruto asked with a smile. "I was on my way to the kitchens because I'm starving. Where were you off to?"  
  
"I was finding you!" Sasuke hissed, waving a piece of paper in front of the boy's face.   
  
"What the hell do you have there, Sasuke?" Naruto wanted to know, as he couldn't read the writing with Sasuke waving the paper all around in his mini-tantrum.  
  
"_Your fucking poem_!" Sasuke snapped back, eyes narrowed at the blonde.   
  
Naruto finally recognized the paper in Sasuke's hand. It was the poem that he had written not fifteen minutes ago. He felt himself go a bright shade of red. How could he have been so stupid to leave it out in the open like that? He mentally cursed himself, not knowing what to do.   
  
_But Sasuke wouldn't really care, would he?_ Naruto thought. He shook his head. _Of course Sasuke won't care. The only thing he'll be upset about is not being able to complete that stupid project.  
_  
Naruto felt anger lacing through his blood, making it boil and making him feel more rage. No one cared. Hadn't he seen that his entire life? No one fucking cared for Uzumaki Naruto.   
  
So why would someone start now? Why would someone go through the trouble of making friends with the loser of the school? He didn't understand it. The only conclusion he could come to is that it must be some kind of sick joke.  
  
His voice was low, dangerous as he spoke. "You think this is fucking _funny_, do you?" he growled. "You and the rest of you fucking assholes. Always watching me fall, always cheering on anyone to defeat me!" He felt tears in the corners of his eyes but he blinked them back. He couldn't let them fall. Naruto didn't cry. "_This sick joke of yours isn't funny_, so just don't act like you care! Don't make my life even worse! I know you want to, everyone wants to… but just don't, okay? That's all I'm asking. I don't care if you get laughs out of trying to make me believe you care, because I know better than that. No one could care for me!_ No one_!"   
  
_And the most painful thing is I know why_, he added in his thoughts. He turned around, continuing his trek to the kitchen.   
  
"You'll laugh, just like the rest of them, saying that I should have done this years ago!" he snarled. "Saying I should have done this the moment I found out _what_ I was – _who_ I was. I don't care anymore. I don't care about anybody. I'm just going to go do my fucking business and then everyone else's lives will be okay again!"  
  
Sasuke looked at the blonde in surprise, unable to understand really what the boy was saying. What exactly had Naruto gone through to have to resort to suicide of all things?   
  
"Naruto… this isn't some kind of joke, I really do care," Sasuke said softly, sincerity in every syllable.   
  
"Stop lying!" Naruto screamed.   
  
Sasuke took a step closer. Naruto crawled backwards. Sasuke stopped. "I'm not lying and I'm not going to hurt you."   
  
Naruto looked up at Sasuke, his blue eyes betraying so much of what he felt. No longer did he feel anger. He felt drained, as though he couldn't move, couldn't even lift his limps enough to clench his fingers.   
  
Naruto felt weak.  
  
And he hated it. This was one of the feelings he hated the most. He wanted to believe Sasuke's words, but he couldn't. He just couldn't afford to get close to Sasuke. It would mean that Sasuke would get hurt.   
  
His voice was quiet, as he was only whispering when he next spoke. His blue eyes were cast down and his hair fell over his eyes so Sasuke couldn't really see them. "If you aren't lying – if you actually do care," Naruto murmured, "then you would let me disappear."  
  
"That's not how caring works, Naruto," Sasuke said, sitting beside the boy (as he had finally stopped backing away.)   
  
"It should work like that."  
  
"Naruto… can you tell me what's happened in your past… tell me without lying or acting as though its nothing?"  
  
"It was nothing. It still is. I have nobody."  
  
Sasuke couldn't help smacking the blonde on the head. "You idiot! You have Kyubi, and you have me!" he yelled. "Just because the rest of the world hates you doesn't mean that we do."  
  
"You'd hate me if you knew."  
  
Sasuke pursed his lips. Naruto wasn't exactly being easy about this.   
  
"All right, make a promise with me, at least," Sasuke said.  
  
"What?"   
  
"For this project for Kakashi and Iruka, we have to learn about each other. I'll truthfully answer any question you ask, but only if you truthfully answer mine."  
  
Naruto thought about it for a moment, but decided that it would probably be the best thing. "Fine, but on one condition."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Three questions a day."  
  
"All right."  
  
The two shook hands on their new promise and Naruto stood up, with the help of Sasuke. Naruto wasn't entirely sure if this was what it meant to have a friend, but it still felt good that someone didn't fully hate him. He stole his poem back from Sasuke.   
  
Looking at it, he nearly chuckled at his stupidity. Was he really this depressed? It couldn't be. He didn't even know how he felt that way. Laughing softly, much to Sasuke's confusion, Naruto tore the papers into shreds and then flung them into the air.   
  
"I'll see you later, Sasuke-chan," Naruto told the boy, running back to the tree to get his notebook. Sasuke just stood, rooted to the spot. He was a little suspicious of Naruto's change of moods, but it wasn't as though it was for the worse.   
  
At least, Sasuke hoped not.   
  
Naruto planned on retrieving his book and then heading back to his dorm to sleep. His plans were interrupted when he returned to the tree. Standing around it was Orochimaru and his gang. Naruto involuntarily shuddered at the sight of them. So far, they hadn't seemed to disturb the book.   
  
"Uhhh… hello," he greeted cheerfully. He hoped that today wasn't one of Orochimaru's bad days. Sometimes (however rarely it happened) Naruto would meet up with this gang and they wouldn't beat him up.   
  
Orochimaru stepped over to him. "Look who's back," he hissed, an evil grin playing at his lips. Naruto tried not to grimace, though he was finding that task harder than usual.   
  
Orochimaru leaned down, grabbing the boy's neck and slammed him into a tree. His grip on Naruto's neck was hard enough to break the boy's skin. Purple bruises, as well as some red blood, began to form around the upperclassman's fingertips. Naruto gasped, struggling to breathe. He had just made the promise with Sasuke. No matter how he felt sometimes, he honestly liked the boy as a friend and wanted to know more about him.   
  
"I… can't… die…" he whispered to himself, grabbing Orochimaru's wrists. He dug his nails into the weak spots on the pale man's wrists. Orochimaru hissed in pain, dropping the boy.   
  
Naruto struggled to breathe in oxygen to his lungs. It wasn't working all too well, unfortunately. Orochimaru looked at his wrists. There were small cuts from Naruto's nails. He narrowed his purple/yellow eyes dangerously and kicked the boy in the rips.   
  
Naruto felt any breath that he had leave him as the foot came in contact with his injured rib. He brought his arm up to hold the injured bone before he felt someone step on his back. He collapsed to the ground, spitting out a little bit of blood. The pain burned him, but he knew this was nothing compared to what they could do.   
  
What they had done in the past.   
  
This was nothing compared to the torture Naruto had to suffer through before. He tried to look around, but felt sick. His vision was going blurry but he knew he had to stay conscious. He didn't know what they would do to him if he was unconscious.   
  
Orochimaru grabbed Naruto's hair, forcefully lifting the boy's head off the ground whilst someone had there foot placed on his back. It caused pain to ripple up and down his spine. Orochimaru picked up a fistful of dirt and looked into Naruto's bright blue eyes with a smirk gracing his features. The boy's eyes were open, which was perfect for Orochimaru's plan. He smeared the dirt into the boy's blue eyes. Naruto screamed as his sight began to get cloudy, before vanishing completely and all he could see was black. But he knew that he was still awake. The pain told him that.   
  
"Never disobey us again, asshole," he spat in Naruto's face. He dropped Naruto's head and signaled to his group. They walked off, leaving the injured blonde behind them.   
  
Meanwhile, Sasuke had been frozen to the spot he was sitting at for a while. He decided that he should go check on Naruto and began to trot over to Naruto's dorm, not really knowing where else the boy might go. When he got there, all he found was Kyubi, who was working on his computer.   
  
"Kyubi-sama," Sasuke began. The redhead looked up. His golden eyes stared at Sasuke.   
  
"Hn?" he asked through the pen in his mouth.   
  
"Um… I wanted to know if Naruto was okay," Sasuke told him.   
  
"Naruto hasn't been here since I left you to watch him, baka," Kyubi said as though it was the most obvious thing.   
  
"You sure? He should've been back here an hour ago."  
  
"Well, he wasn't."  
  
"I'll go look for him."  
  
"Be sure to find him, Sasuke-kun."  
  
Sasuke didn't answer as he left the dormroom. Kyubi smiled to himself when he saw the boy leaving without answering the redhead's demand. Kyubi knew that Sasuke would find Naruto. He just hoped it wouldn't be too late.   
  
Sasuke walked around campus. It seemed like he had been searching for hours. Dusk had begun to fall before he remembered that Naruto had been going back to get his book.   
  
"I wonder what happened to him that he didn't return to his dormroom," Sasuke wondered aloud. He figured the boy must have just gotten sidetracked by inspiration for poetry or something.   
  
When he arrived at the tree that Naruto was at earlier, he found himself gaping at the sight before him. Naruto was leaning against the tree, eyes only half-open and looking like they were going to close any second. There were dark bruises and a few bloodstains on his neck and he was holding his rip. His hair looking as though it had been yanked as well.  
  
"Naruto!" Sasuke said as he dropped to the ground next to the boy.  
  
"Who's there?" Naruto asked, his voice harsh and raspy.   
  
"It's Sasuke."  
  
Naruto reached his hand out in front of him, trying to find the boy. "Where are you?"  
  
"Right next to you," Sasuke answered, not realizing what was the matter.   
  
As though reading the Uchiha's confused thoughts, Naruto finally found Sasuke's shoulder. "Orochimaru rubbed dirt into my eyes. I can't see anything. Help me up."  
  
Instead of helping him up and letting him walk on his own (and probably fall again), Sasuke scooped Naruto up in his arms, making his way back to the blonde's dorm.   
  
Sasuke had faith in the fact that Kyubi would know what to do… at least, he hoped the redhead would. If Kyubi didn't know what to do, than the black-haired boy was at loss.   
  
"Why are you carrying me, Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "I can walk fine by myself."  
  
"I seriously doubt that," was all Sasuke said as they arrived at the dorm room. Kyubi looked at the two boys in shock and put turned his chair towards them.   
  
"Put Naruto on the bed," he ordered swiftly. Sasuke did as he was told. Kyubi put on his glasses and looked at Naruto.   
  
**_ ((Sorry, I had to give Kyubi glasses. In my head, he looks so sexy with them. =P))_**  
  
Kyubi handed a washcloth to Sasuke. "Here, wet this as quickly as you can," Kyubi told him.   
  
Sasuke ran to do as bid. When he returned, Kyubi folded the washcloth and put it over Naruto's eyes. He hoped the cold and the water would help chase the dirt out.   
  
"Naruto," he whispered.   
  
"Kyubi?"   
  
"Yeah, its me."  
  
"Where am I now?"  
  
"The dorm."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Naruto… where did they hurt you?"  
  
"My rib… I think they might have broke it again… and my neck… that's all, though."  
  
Kyubi nodded and began to examine the boy's neck. He pulled out some disinfectant and put it on the cuts, but that was all he could do. He saw that Naruto was still clutching his rib, as though it was still paining him.   
  
"Naruto… there isn't anything I can do about that rib, at least not right now. What we can do to help you is get you some sleep, all right?"  
  
Naruto nodded, not really knowing what else to do. He wondered if his rib would heal, and how bad it was. He was also wondering if he would ever be able to see again.  
  
Slowly, with Sasuke and Kyubi watching over him, Naruto fell into an uneasy sleep.   
  
**_Kyuubi-chan's Corner:  
  
Hi everyone, I'm back for the weekend. Or until Sunday morning rather. Its Kick-Out Weekend at Camp and so EVERYONE goes home. Because I have the next part written out on paper, I needed to do fillers and I needed to continue from what I had in Chapter Four. I hope this went well. I don't really know if it did. Scary part. Anyways, I'm doing a helluva lot better, for those who are wondering. And I'm happy that I can ride horses again. If I couldn't ride horses, that would majorly suck. Oh well, I probably would've hopped up on one of the ponies or easy horses anyway. I'm weird like that and horses are a big part of my life. Its strange being home…   
  
Oh yeah, this rant wasn't supposed to be my bitch and moan session. Stupid Kyuubi-chan…  
  
The poem is called "Vanish" and unlike the others, this one was written specifically for this fic. Meaning I'm not suicidal. So don't get that in your heads or I may have to hurt you!  
  
_**Hope you liked! 


	6. For a Friend

**Disclaimer**: I don't and never will own any part of anything except for what I've created. But seeing as how I'm writing on fanfiction, and not fictionpress, I think that I'm sufficiently not the owner of Naruto.   
  
However, I could just be fooling you all  
  
**Pairings**: SasuNaruSasu. Don't like, don't read. Not my problem if you do, so don't review saying some stupid bullshit about how Naruto and Sasuke could never be together. I don't want to hear it. Frankly, I see one thing, and those who see something else, see something else. Whatever floats your boat and don't sink mine. ((This rant is directed to no one in particular… have fun reading))  
  
**Warnings**: Attempted rape, shonen ai, blood, gore, fighting, swearing, um… I think that's all… if it isn't, I apologize.  
  
**Rating**: R  
  
**I Bleed Black  
Chapter Six   
**  
It took close to a month and a half before Naruto was healed again. His first day back in classes, everyone had stared at him. He could guess that they had all hoped he was dead and was now angry that he was still alive. Naruto heard the murmurs of gossip and rumors that some of the students were telling each other. He ignored them all.   
  
He sighed, wondering if it was a smart idea letting Sasuke talk him out of suicide. He had been wondering that for all the time he had been stuck in bed, due to his rib.   
  
His first day – make that first week – back in classes were rather uneventful. He had managed to get Iruka and Kakashi to give Sasuke and him an extension on the project due to injuries. They now had to catch up a lot, but it wouldn't really matter. The two were hard workers when they felt like it. In order not to fail, they "felt like" passing with flying colors, despite their disadvantages.   
  
One of their disadvantages would turn out to be Naruto's need for revenge on Orochimaru and his gang. Sasuke tried to talk the blonde out of it several times, but it wasn't working. They were in the midst of another of their arguments.   
  
"Naruto – they could actually _kill_ you next time," Sasuke yelled.   
  
"So…?" Naruto shot back with a shrug of indifference.   
  
Sasuke slammed his bookbag onto Naruto's head. "You idiot!" he screamed. "I oughta kill you right now."  
  
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Whatever," he snapped back. "I'm getting revenge whether you like it or not! And since when did you become my mother!"  
  
"Fine, whatever, just please, let me be there when you get revenge so that I can just be there… all right?"  
  
"Deal," Naruto replied before walking off, trying to get to class.   
  
It was a week later when Naruto came up to Sasuke and told him that it was time. The two walked towards Orochimaru's gang's dorm, as they all lived in one dorm. Naruto snickered slightly at his plan. He was going to get Orochimaru back after all the things the upperclassmen put him through and he was going to get it done his way. Stealthily, Naruto set up the tripwire that would put his prank into action. Hiding behind a pack of bushes, Naruto and Sasuke watched as Orochimaru and his gang came out of the dormhouse and began coming their way.  
  
As though sensing something Orochimaru and his "First Mate", Kabuto, stopped right before the trap. However, one of their mindless minions kept walking. His goot caught the wire, sending several water balloons onto Orochimaru's head.   
  
The clearing was silent. Naruto and Sasuke both held their breaths as they looked closer at the gang, wondering how they would react.   
  
Suddenly, Orochimaru hissed, "Uzumaki!" His eyes blazed with anger and he clenched his fists. Kabuto merely wiped the water from his glasses and put them back on, his face grim.   
  
"What do you suppose we do, Orochimaru-sama?" he asked softly.   
  
"We'll get our revenge."  
  
Kabuto nodded in agreement. The group continued on their way. As soon as they were gone from sight, Naruto came out of hiding, laughing. He picked up a stick and drew his trademark spiral in the ground.   
  
Sasuke, who had appeared right behind him, stared at it. A strange look came over his face. "Why are you letting the world know you did it?" he asked, looking back at Naruto.  
  
Naruto just grinned at him. "Orochimaru already knows it, so I have no reason to hide it," he explained, looking at Sasuke with a happy gleam in his eyes.   
  
Sasuke glared at the boy, folding his arms across his chest. "Didn't your parents teach you anything before sending you to this shithole?" he asked scornfully, eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the blonde.   
  
Naruto froze up. He had promised to answer all of Sasuke's questions truthfully (and vice versa, of course) but he found himself wanting to lie. Since he had a month and a half off, the two had not done the project yet – they had begun learning each others' hobbies and such, but nothing extremely personal yet. Not looking at Sasuke, he stuffed his fists in his pockets.   
  
"That would mean that I had to have parents," he mumbled softly. He turned his back on Sasuke and walked away.   
  
Sasuke stared after him, astonished. For some strange reason, it had never occurred to the Uchiha that Naruto might be an orphan. Slowly, he followed the blonde, not really knowing what else to do.   
  
Naruto walked surprisingly quick, although he didn't seem to have a destination in mind. Several times, he stopped and switched directions with no warning. He was too caught up in his thoughts to notice anything around him.   
  
Sasuke remained hidden throughout all of this. His elder brother had once taught him how to silently follow someone without the person realizing he was there. Sasuke found that ability most helpful at times like now.   
  
Naruto was walking nowhere. He accidentally knocked his shoulder into someone as he was passing by. Instead of letting him continue on his way, the person grabbed Naruto's wrist, twisting it behind the boy's back. Holding it there, Kabuto leaned forward and whispered something in Naruto's ear. Naruto's eyes widened at the other's words before he nodded slightly. Kabuto let him go and the blonde hurried off.   
  
Sasuke wondered about the encounter as he continued to shadow Naruto. Something about the look in his friend's eyes scared Sasuke. He had never seen Naruto look like that in the two months he had gotten to know him. It was a look of complete and utter terror.   
  
For some reason, this only intrigued the Uchiha even more. He would stick close to Naruto – at least for today. He swiftly looked around, to see if anyone was following _him_. It made his skin prickle as he realized that someone was. He couldn't see who it was, though. Sasuke allowed thoughts to fly through his head. It seemed as though he was stuck with a choice to make: continue after Naruto or turn and confront whoever was there.  
  
Before he could reach a decision, another shadow that he hadn't noticed grabbed him, pulling him into an alleyway. One hand of this person was wrapped around his chest and elbows, which limited his arm movement, the other hand was covering Sasuke's mouth. Even though the pale boy struggled, he couldn't break himself from the deathgrip the man was holding him in.   
  
The person pulled Sasuke through a door in the alleyway. As soon as the door closed behind them, the man released Sasuke. Sasuke turned to face him, which was a mistake as the man's fist hit him straight in the gut. Picking some rope off of the table that was in the small room, the man tied Sasuke's hands behind his back tightly. Sasuke was trying to get breath back into his body again. When he had finally regained his breathing, he glared at the man.   
  
"What the _fuck_ do you think your doing?" he snarled, trying to get his wrists loose. All that was happening was the rope felt like it was tightening.   
  
Instead of answering, the man crushed his lips onto Sasuke's, his hands roaming up and down the boy's sides. Sasuke's eyes widened and he stiffened. He shut his eyes, hoping this was some kind of messed up dream or that, if it wasn't, someone would come and save him. He didn't really know who would come, though, if it was indeed the latter.   
  
The man broke the kiss, his brown eyes leering at the boy. He took a knife and cut Sasuke's shirt, cutting a little bit of skin too. He bent down and licked the red substance off the pale boy's chest, which made the boy shiver. Just as Sasuke was stepping back away from the man, the two heard the loud slam of a door opening.   
  
Sasuke opened his eyes to a flash of yellow which he realized was Naruto's hair before he was knocked aside. His vision went a little fuzzy for a moment but he managed to clear it, looking at what was going on.   
  
Contrary to popular belief, the blonde-haired boy was a good fighter. He stared at Sasuke's attacker, eyes narrowed and jaw set as he threw kicks and punches at the man. Sasuke's would-be rapist blocked some, but not all of the attacks. Slowly, the Uchiha saw that Naruto most definitely had the upper hand in the fight.   
  
Out of nowhere, there was a loud _crack_ as the would-be rapist grabbed Naruto's left arm, slamming it down on the edge of the table. Naruto gave a loud scream of pain as the bones in his forearm snapped. The man followed the attack by punching Naruto in the face. Off balance, the boy fell backwards.   
  
The man grinned when he saw Naruto on the ground, motionless. He turned back to Sasuke, licking his lips hungrily. Sasuke's eyes were wide as he tried, once again, to get out of the binds. He was backing away from the man. His back felt the cold wall behind him. The man advanced towards him angrily. When he was close, he raised his hand to smack Sasuke for trying to get away. Sasuke closed his eyes again, bracing himself for the impact of the man's hand.   
  
**_SMACK!_**  
  
The sound rang though the air, but Sasuke didn't feel the impact. At first he thought it was numbness but when he opened an eye, he saw the back of Naruto. The boy's right arm had blocked the blow from landing on Sasuke. Sasuke's other eye sprang open from shock. Naruto's left arm was dangling at his side, obviously useless.   
  
Sasuke found himself staring at Naruto. Naruto was this strong? He always had Orochimaru and his gang beating up on him, but Sasuke guessed that when really pushed, he could do something like this.   
  
Naruto kicked at the other man, catching him in the gut. He continued his attack, hitting all parts of his opponent. Naruto's final kick slammed into the man's solar plexus, the weakest point on the human body. The man fell backwards. Naruto didn't even check to see if his adversary was alive or dead before he turned to Sasuke. He limped over to the raven-haired boy. After much fumbling, he managed to get the ropes off Sasuke's wrists before falling into a dead faint. His body slumped against Sasuke's. Sasuke shot his newly freed arms out before Naruto fell.   
  
The first thought running through his head was that Naruto was too light to be healthy. The second thing was that he should take him to a hospital or something. The blonde's arm needed to be looked at by a professional and he had several bruises from the man's punches and such.   
  
Sasuke picked Naruto up and made his way out of the building. He noticed that his friend's breathing was becoming short and rapid, as though the blonde couldn't get enough air into his lungs. This only made Sasuke panic even more.   
  
Luckily for him, there was a hospital nearby. He ran in the front doors, making everyone in the room stop what they were doing. They all turned and stared at the two.   
  
Sasuke barely managed a "He could be dying," before the doctors and nurses jumped into action.   
  
A stretcher was brought forth as soon as possible. The nurse with it fitted a neck brace around the boy's throat. Naruto lay motionless. The medical staff began to cut off his clothing so they could take X-rays of his body. Sasuke found himself blushing a little bit as he saw the medics start taking off the remains of the boy's closed. He quickly hid it after he realized what had happened.   
  
He faintly heard one of the doctor's ask for the patient's name and Sasuke's head snapped up. He looked at the doctor, as though trying to remember the answer.   
  
"Uchiha Naruto," he told the doctors. They just nodded as they rushed him off into the interior of the hospital.   
  
After they had left, Sasuke was told to go to the waiting room. He did so, wondering why he had answered the doctor's question the way he did. Well, he supposed there were benefits to being an Uchiha: automatic insurance, no questions asked, major discounts and personal rooms. And those were only a few of them.   
  
Hours passed without any word about Naruto. Whenever Sasuke asked about his "cousin," he received the same answer from everyone.  
  
"You shall be informed of his status soon."  
  
However, "soon" was longer than he had thought. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, a doctor appeared.   
  
"Uchiha-san?" the man called, looking around the silent waiting room.   
  
Sasuke stood up. "Here," he answered, looking directly at the doctor.   
  
"Please follow me," the doctor requested.   
  
Sasuke nodded and did as he was told. The doctor turned and fifteen minutes later, they arrived at room 402.   
  
It was a semi-large room. There were two beds (one for visitors), a comfy visitor's chair, lots of picture's, a large window, a television and a table.   
  
One the bed, which was raised so that the patient could look around, lay Naruto. His big blue eyes were open and the neck brace was gone. He left arm was in a large cast that hung from the ceiling. Luckily, he didn't reinjure his broken rib. He had a small white bandage over his right eye because of a cut from a punch was there. The blonde smiled when he saw Sasuke. (The doctor had left)  
  
"Hey, Sasuke," he greeted, looking relieved that Sasuke wasn't dead.  
  
"Hey, yourself," Sasuke responded as he took a seat in the visitor's char. He stared at Naruto. There were so many questions running through his head and he couldn't sort them out into word form. Finally, he thought it was the right time to ask the ones he had figured out.   
  
Naruto interrupted him before he had a chance to start. "That guy – he didn't – well, you know," Naruto asked softly. His eyes and face were lined with worry. Sasuke couldn't stop himself from almost smiling at the fact that someone cared.   
  
"Well… did he?" Naruto demanded to know. Obviously, Sasuke had stayed silent for way too long.  
  
"No… he didn't do anything to me," Sasuke assured the blonde. _Except for kissing me and licking my blood,_ he added silently in his head. He didn't feel like telling Naruto about those things.   
  
Naruto's smile grew as he realized that Sasuke hadn't been raped, which was what he had feared. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy gave a sigh of relief.   
  
"How did you know where I was?" Sasuke wanted to know. He not only wanted to know, Sasuke felt that he needed to know.   
  
Naruto looked away, focusing his eyes on the window, but not really seeing anything.  
  
"After I walked away from you, I ran into Kabuto," Naruto started. "Kabuto told me that because of my prank, someone I considered a friend would, uh, 'lose his innocence', I believe were the words he said. I tried to find you and when I got there, I almost thought it was too later. That I was too late." Naruto bit his lip before continuing whilst Sasuke listened to him in complete silence. "If anything happened to you… I, I, I don't know what I'd do! It hurt me that they were going to hurt you. I felt like my heart was bleeding because he was being squeezed so much!"  
  
The blonde stopped, waiting for Sasuke's reply. He refused to look at the boy. He refused to speak again until the Uchiha did.   
  
"You did bleed," was all Sasuke murmured at first.   
  
Now Naruto looked at him, puzzlement on his face. "Huh?"  
  
"It's something my mother told me when I was a little kid," Sasuke told him. "When you get a physical wound, the blood that spills is red. Emotional wounds are different. They bleed, but the blood that spills is black. The wound sometimes will never stop bleeding, either, and that is why black blood is feared more than red."  
  
The two were silent for a little while after Sasuke completed his lecture/story. It was the blonde that broke the tense quiet of the room.   
  
"I bleed black," he muttered under his breath.  
  
Sasuke looked at him. "What did you say?" he asked, for he hadn't heard him the first time.

"I bleed black," Naruto repeated in a slightly louder tone. "I suppose I've always bled that way, even if I didn't realize it."  
  
"What do you mean?" Sasuke questioned.   
  
Naruto was silent for a moment. What he felt like he had to say was something he had never told anyone before. So, this was a little bit hard to do. He hoped Sasuke wouldn't interrupt him. "I've always been an orphan. I don't even know my parents' names. All I know is 'Uzumaki'. That's all the people at the orphanage told me. When I was five, I was forced to leave the orphanage. I was taken from foster home to foster home. I never stayed anywhere for long. The foster families never felt comfortable with me around. I never understood why. Then I learned why my parents left me on the doorstep of the orphanage."  
  
Sasuke watched Naruto intently. The blonde was still, his eyes glazed over in memory. The Uchiha didn't say anything. Naruto soon continued.   
  
"The name 'Uzumaki' is feared. Its part of a large mafia group called Akatsuki. It's actually one of the top members. Akatsuki would kill innocent people for the hell of it. They didn't care about who lived and who died. Most of them would hand in their mother's head on a silver platter for money. They were a powerful group and they still are. My parents didn't want me to live that kind of life, I guess, so they sent me away."  
  
Sasuke sat there, completely stunned. It just didn't make any type of sense. How could Naruto be related to some of the top members of Akatsuki? Such things were absurd. Naruto and Akatsuki didn't even belong in the same sentence!  
  
Naruto looked away from Sasuke again. His hand clenched the blankets on the bed. "You're the first person I've told that to," he murmured softly. "I'll understand it if you hate me or whatever."  
  
Sasuke looked at him, a small smile on his lips. "Dobe… nobody could hate you if they knew you," he murmured. Naruto looked at him, surprised.   
  
"Huh?" he asked.   
  
For some reason, this made Sasuke laugh. Naruto looked at him confused right now. Hesitantly, Sasuke leaned forward and hugged Naruto.   
  
"Your heritage doesn't make you who you are," Sasuke told him.   
  
He knew that first hand.   
  
**_Kyuubi-chan's Corner:  
  
So how'd ya'll like chapter six? I know… first chapter without a poem. I completely forgot to find a place to write one, so I didn't. Bah… I'm going to sleep. I'm too tired to continue writing, especially since I'm going back to camp tomorrow. That means more work. Twenty four hours a day of working with kids and horses. Fun, right? Hopefully, I'll be able to ride Bailey this week. He's a skittish horse, but I always wanted to try him. Don't mind me… I'll leave now.   
  
Ja ne!  
  
-Kyuubi-chan- _**


	7. Broken Dreams

**Disclaimer**: I don't and never will own any part of anything except for what I've created. But seeing as how I'm writing on fanfiction, and not fictionpress, I think that I'm sufficiently not the owner of Naruto.   
  
However, I could just be fooling you all  
  
**Pairings**: SasuNaruSasu. Don't like, don't read. Not my problem if you do, so don't review saying some stupid bullshit about how Naruto and Sasuke could never be together. I don't want to hear it. Frankly, I see one thing, and those who see something else, see something else. Whatever floats your boat and don't sink mine. ((This rant is directed to no one in particular… have fun reading))  
  
**Warnings**: shonen ai, blood, gore, fighting, swearing, um… I think that's all… if it isn't, I apologize.  
  
**Rating**: R  
  
**I Bleed Black  
Chapter Seven**  
  
There really wasn't much to do during Naruto's long stay at the hospital. He kept on getting confused by the nurses that frequently came into calling him "Uchiha-san." Each time he would try to protest, but then they would pat his head and wander off. It wasn't until a week after he got there when he asked Sasuke why they were doing that. With a chuckle, the normally stoic boy told him that he had been registered at the hospital as "Uchiha Naruto."  
  
"And why the hell is that?" the blonde wanted to know. No matter how much he disliked his family name – it was still his. Having to pretend to be someone he wasn't didn't appeal to Naruto as much as everyone thought it would. He was proud of who he was.   
  
He was Uzumaki Naruto.  
  
When he told this to Sasuke, the raven-haired boy only ruffled his hair in response, giving a shadowy smile. Naruto wondered why this was so, but didn't press the matter much.  
  
Currently, though, it was nighttime and Sasuke was sleeping peacefully in the spare bed. Naruto glanced over at him. The blonde noticed his friend's chest rising slowly and falling back in slow, steady breaths as he slept. But for some reason, the Uzumaki child could not join his friend in slumber. Whenever he fell asleep, he had the most horrible nightmares.   
  
Images would flash behind his eyes of what would happen if Naruto had not arrived in time. What if Sasuke had truly been raped? What if Naruto had been too week to defeat whoever that strange, brown-haired man was? He shuddered at the thought, wishing to banish it, but finding that he couldn't. That was what scared him the most.   
  
Well, that and the fact that he had revealed his past to Sasuke. The only other person besides Sasuke that knew was the person who had told him.   
  
Kitsune Kyuubi.   
  
The boy was unwillingly part of Akatsuki and knew there was no way out of it. The Kitsune Clan was all part of it. Kyuubi was not innocent, as he had told Naruto. He had been forced to kill people he knew and didn't know ever since he was three years old. The first person he had killed was his best friend. Why? Naruto could remember Kyuubi's hollow, empty voice when he had told Naruto the year before.   
  
_ "Why? Why did I have to kill my best friend when I was only three years old? Even after swearing to protect him? I know why – it's not really that big of a mystery. It's all because I'm a fucking coward. My parents and the other members of Akatsuki told me told me to, and out of fear of them – I did. I remember his lifeless gaze, still somehow filled with shock and betrayal. I had promised to fucking protect him, and how did I uphold to my promise? I fucking stabbed him in the throat seventeen times with a blunt knife – a fucking butterknife, because I couldn't find a better weapon before I left my house. I remember his screams. Maybe if I had chosen a sharper weapon, I would feel better – at least I wouldn't torture him continuously before I killed him."  
  
Kyuubi would then turn to Naruto.   
  
"I envy you in a way, Naruto-kun," he whispered softly to the blonde. "Your parents, at the cost of their lives, protected you. My parents wanted to… but they didn't have the courage. One day, I may be able to escape, but until then – and after then – I will have to be burdened with the weight of each life I took. It never got any easier. They all assured me it would, but it never did. I can remember every person I killed, whether I knew their name or not – I can remember their face, their blood, their screams and their begging for me not to kill them. Be happy, Naruto-kun, that you never had to experience that."  
  
Naruto stared at his roommate, and then did something he had never done before. He stumbled softly over to the redhaired, golden-eyed boy and enclosed his waist in a fierce hug, tears flowing from both of them. He didn't know why Kyuubi was confiding in him, and he didn't care. All he knew was that the only human being that had ever cared for him in his entire life, was in pain. Naruto wanted to make that pain vanish. He wanted to see Kyuubi truly smile.  
  
"I killed them, Naruto," Kyuubi sobbed softly. "Why are you hugging me? I killed 786 people? How can you care?"  
  
Naruto hadn't answered, just hugged tighter. After what seemed like forever, the red-haired killer had hugged him back. Naruto, even though he didn't truly understand the pain of taking another's life, knew the pain of not being comforted in times of sorrow. Now was such a time, and Naruto wanted no one else to ever feel what he had felt his entire life. It didn't matter who they were.   
  
No one deserved to be completely and utterly alone. He promised himself that he would stand by Kyuubi, whatever happened. If Kyuubi, one day, was told to kill him, than Naruto would know that it wasn't his fault and would tell his roommate so.   
  
After that day, Naruto took it on as his personal mission to try to cheer Kyuubi up so that he would smile gently. It took days, weeks, and months of trying, but after a while, Kyuubi had become almost like a normal teenager. He smiled a lot more than before he had confessed to the blonde. Naruto only wanted his friend to keep smiling, even if Naruto couldn't be there for him.   
  
It was soon after Kyuubi started smiling that Naruto started being bullied. Kyuubi, as a way of repaying Naruto, taught the Uzumaki kid how to defend himself.   
_  
Naruto shook his head, trying to banish all the bad memories. But somehow, without him wanting them to, they just kept coming up to him, caressing his cheek in a hollow sort of way. Despite the fact that he had several blankets piled on him, Naruto shivered. He noticed a pad of paper with a pen attached to it by a piece of string on the pitiful bedside table. Reaching over, and putting some strain on his left hand, which sent pain tearing through him, Naruto finally was able to reach the pad and pen. He brought it back to him and bent his knees, resting the paper on them. He took the cheap blue pen into his hand as he began to write another one of his poems.   
  
_ When I tried; I didn't do well enough  
I didn't try my best and now it's lost  
Lost to me, forever more  
My dream  
I see the door that waits for me  
Standing there; glinting evilly  
Waiting for me to step through  
Step into a dark sleep  
One with no goals or dreams  
One that lasts forever, one that no one sees  
The Door is waiting for me  
To fall into the Sleep of Death  
Because it knows I have no more dreams  
And dreams are my reason for life  
So good-bye, dear friends  
I loved you all  
Good-bye, farewell, I now must go!  
Onto another place, where, I can't tell  
Bet you that they call it "Hell"  
Yume wa Koreno o **[1]  
** My Dreams roam about  
And I will never find them again  
Like glass, they shattered  
The broken pieces of my dreams  
Flow around me  
And fall silently to the ground   
Leaving me in Darkness and Death_  
  
Naruto stared at what he had written. With a sigh, he put in his childish scrawl on the bottom: To the best friend I could ever have: Kitsune Kyuubi. He would be sure to show the older boy this poem later on, when he recovered. For all he cared, Kyuubi would probably enter it in a contest, but it would be his and Naruto would be sure to tell him so.   
  
"What are you doing, dobe?" a quiet voice said next to his ear. Naruto jumped, pulling on his arm. He gave a hiss of pain as he felt warm hands steady him. "Shh… calm down," he heard. "It's just me, Sasuke."  
  
For some reason unknown to the blonde, he did calm down. He shook his head at the thoughts that threatened to engulf him in confusion and turned to his friend. Sasuke was standing by his bed, in nothing but a pair of blue plaid pajama pants. Naruto blushed when he saw the raven-haired boy's bare chest, although he wasn't entirely sure why.   
  
_I'm not gay!_ He shouted furiously to himself, although he didn't find himself to be very convincing. But Sasuke didn't have to know that.  
  
"Are you okay?" Sasuke asked, worried.   
  
"J-Just fine," Naruto stammered back, plastering his goofy grin on his face. "You startled me, is all."  
  
Sasuke nodded, before looking down at the pad of paper curiously. He quickly read the poem and the dedication. The black-haired boy laid his hand casually across the blonde's shoulder. "That's really good," he said encouragingly. Naruto could feel himself blushing and was thankful for the darkness that surrounded the room. He had written the poem by moonlight, that filtered through the windows of the room as well as the streetlights far below.  
  
"It-it's okay, I guess," he murmured softly, not fighting off the compliment like he normally would. He blamed such a thing on his tiredness. He guessed that laziness played a part as well.  
  
"Naruto… are you sure you're okay?" Sasuke asked softly, looking into the boy's azure eyes. "I've noticed you haven't been sleeping lately? Does that have anything to do with what happened?"  
  
Slowly, without much hesitation, Naruto nodded.   
  
"Why do you keep thinking about it?" Sasuke demanded to know. "_Nothing_ happened!"  
  
"But what if something had!" Naruto interrupted, close to tears. He didn't know why he felt so emotional right now. He supposed that this always happened whenever he wrote poetry. It took him a good half an hour to close the gate of his emotions and place the lock that lay deep within his heart. "What if I hadn't gotten there in time? What if you had been raped? It would be all my fault!" Even though Naruto was astounded by his outburst, he couldn't seem to stop himself either.  
  
Sasuke grabbed his shoulders, forcing Naruto to look him in the eyes.   
  
"_Listen to me_, Naruto," he started in a desperate voice, trying to make Naruto understand. "It _wasn't_ your fault!"  
  
Naruto just shook his head. "It was! It was! It was all because of that stupid fucking prank I pulled!"  
  
Sasuke shook him lightly, as to not disturb his wounded arm. "Listening to me, you fucking dobe!" he shouted. Naruto flinched, but stared at him. "_IT WAS NOT YOUR FAULT_!" Naruto only nodded, even though he didn't quite believe Sasuke. He only nodded to get Sasuke out of his face about this. He knew within him that it was all his fault, and that the moment he would fall asleep – visions would haunt his vision. And in them, he couldn't save Sasuke.   
  
Just like it sometimes seemed that he couldn't save Kyuubi.   
  
"Sorry Sasuke…" Naruto mumbled and then forced himself to brighten. "I guess I was just worried about what would've happened if I didn't…"  
  
Sasuke sat down on the edge of Naruto's bed, hugging the boy to his chest. "But you did," he murmured softly as he rested his chin on the blonde spikes. He tightened his hold and then released. Ruffling Naruto's head in a brotherly way, he moved off of the bed. "Just get some sleep, dobe, or else the nurses will have to inject you with something and I know that both of us don't want that to happen."  
  
Naruto nodded dumbly, slumping back on his pillows as he heard Sasuke move to his bed on the other side of the room. He listened for his current roommate's steady breathing before finally relaxing. He stared out at the moon and stars, not knowing what to do. What if Orochimaru and his gang tried something like that again? What if they did it before Naruto could heal and it was someone stronger than last time? Would Naruto be able to defeat them?  
  
He didn't know.   
  
While the two were trapped inside the hospital – well, Naruto was trapped. Sasuke was free to leave at anytime, he just chose not to – they continued working on their project.   
  
"So," Naruto said softly as he looked at the questionnaire that Iruka had given them to fill out about their partner. He knew all of their styles of writing and handwriting, so it had to be done the real way and not by just writing down their own information and giving it to their partner.   
  
"So… what?" Sasuke retorted, leaning back on the visitor's chair. He had moved the table over so they could set up their stuff on it. Naruto would have helped if he was allowed to get up. Unfortunately, he wasn't.   
  
Naruto smiled. "So… what's your favorite food?"  
  
"Onigiri_**[2]**_," Sasuke responded. "'Specially with umeboshi."  
  
"Really?" Naruto asked. "Isn't that a bit plain for the Great Uchiha Sasuke?" The question was said in a teasing tone.   
  
"Yeah, really," Sasuke snapped in a low voice. It was only because of Naruto's sensitive hearing that he was able to pick up Sasuke's words. Naruto frowned softly, startled by the way the boy had replied. Sasuke sounded… almost angry at whatever onigiri meant to him.   
  
Focusing back to the task at hand, Sasuke said, "So, what's yours, dobe?"  
  
"Ramen, of course!"  
  
"How can you like ramen? It's so friking annoying."  
  
Naruto stuck out his tongue. "Don't diss my ramen!" he shouted.   
  
Sasuke let out a small "heh" but besides that, didn't respond to the boy. Instead, he wrote that down on his paper, looking at the next question.   
  
"What's your favorite animal?" he asked, pen above the blank line that he was supposed to right on.   
  
Naruto grinned. "A fox!" he shouted, proudly. He looked at Sasuke. "Yours?"  
  
"Horse," he responded.   
  
They filled out the next questions pretty quickly. All too soon, it seemed, they stumbled onto Question Number 23.   
  
**23. Describe your partner's parents/family figure.**   
  
Both boys made a gulping sound as they looked at the sheet. Naruto was the first one to get over his fear.   
  
"Family figure, that's easy," he said in a seemingly casual tone, but his eyes were still a little fearful and sweat poured down his face. He blamed it on the heat, but he knew it was from fear.   
  
"Hn," Sasuke grunted, pen about to write.   
  
"Kitsune Kyuubi-sama, age 14, though he seems like he's 17 or 18," he said with a big grin. Sasuke wrote down exactly what Naruto was saying, word for word. "Kyuubi is my roommate. While I'm hear, he's the big brother I've never had, since I'm an only child. I don't know much about Kyuubi's family, but he seems to accept me as a little brother type figure. He helps me smile whenever I'm depressed, and he helps me with my homework whenever I need help. It doesn't matter what Kyuubi's doing, he's always willing to help with my problems. He's cool like that. In return, I try to make him smile as much as I can. He's been smiling a lot lately." He deliberately left out why he tried to make Kyuubi smile. That was something he knew that he couldn't tell anyone. Not even Sasuke, with whom he entrusted his own past. Kyuubi had to be the one to tell his life, not Naruto. Just like Naruto would tell his own past – not someone else. It was just how things worked.   
  
"Ano… I think that's all, how about you, Sasuke?" he asked.   
  
Sasuke looked at him, finishing up his writing. His eyes seemed dead, cold and emotionless all at the same time. Naruto flinched when he met his gaze.   
  
In a soft voice, Sasuke said, "Since you told me your past – I'll tell you my own."  
  
**_Kyuubi-chan's Corner:  
  
[1] Yume wa Koreno o literally means "my dreams roam about". I learned it my freshman year of English class when my teacher was teaching us Haiku. That happened to be one of the lines from the original Japanese. The translation was right next to it, so I copied them both down, isn't that fun? I actually copied them both down when I wrote this poem. It's literally called, "Broken Dreams". I wrote it a long time ago, probably in one of my depression modes. Wheee, I hoped you all liked it.  
  
[2] Onigiri = riceball. Umeboshi is a small plum. I can't remember if umeboshi is dried or not and I'm too lazy to find out, so forgive me if it is. As for now, it shall be listed as small plum. Whee  
  
What did you think of Kyuubi's past? Kind of hard to realize that the Kitsune would feel remorse, but technically he's not the Kitsune in this fic. He's a normal teenage boy, who just happened to be born into the wrong family – just like Naruto and Sasuke. (You will learn Sasuke's past later. I have great plans for this fic. I've already written he final poem, because I was inspired to, but everything until then is all some kind of mystery). After all, you can't chose the family you are born into. You're just kind of stuck with whatever you get! If you ever read Banana Fish, you can hear the entire rant about that topic said by Ash Lynx. It took me a moment to remember who said it. And where I heard it. I knew I read it somewhere, but I really didn't know where. Until I remembered, of course. Gee… I'm starting to sound weird, even to myself.   
  
And that's when you know something is wrong. When you don't even make sense to yourself, much less the people around you.   
  
Well, that's where I'm going to end the chapter. I pretty much have the next few chapters planned, but I want to perfect the ideas in my head before I write anything down. Don't worry, I won't forget. And if I do, who cares, I'll still have to write something. I'll update as soon as I can._**


	8. What Came Before

**Disclaimer**: I don't and never will own any part of anything except for what I've created. But seeing as how I'm writing on fanfiction, and not fictionpress, I think that I'm sufficiently not the owner of Naruto.   
  
However, I could just be fooling you all  
  
**Pairings**: SasuNaruSasu. Don't like, don't read. Not my problem if you do, so don't review saying some stupid bullshit about how Naruto and Sasuke could never be together. I don't want to hear it. Frankly, I see one thing, and those who see something else, see something else. Whatever floats your boat and don't sink mine. ((This rant is directed to no one in particular… have fun reading))  
  
**Warnings**: shonen ai, blood, gore, fighting, swearing, um… I think that's all… if it isn't, I apologize.  
  
**Rating**: R  
  
**I Bleed Black  
Chapter Eight**  
  
"What?" Naruto asked, startled. His azure eyes stared at Sasuke in puzzlement.  
  
"I said that I'm going to tell you about my past."  
  
It took a moment for Naruto to fully respond to Sasuke's words. He quickly shook his head. Sasuke's eyebrow raised in question.   
  
"Don't," Naruto told him.   
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I don't want you telling me something unless you want to. Just because I told you my history doesn't mean you have to tell me yours yet."  
  
Sasuke sighed, shaking his head. "That's not the reason I'm telling you, Naruto," he murmured.   
  
Naruto, sounding smart for now, persisted. "Then why are you telling me now?"  
  
"Because I want to!" Sasuke snapped loudly.   
  
Naruto recoiled noticeably, though neither boy was entirely sure why. Naruto blamed it on the fact that Sasuke had surprised him. The blonde had never been good with surprises. The haunted look in Sasuke's eyes softened a bit when he noticed this.   
  
"Sorry," he told the blonde sheepishly. Naruto just shrugged in response. It was partly his fault, anyway, for pressing the matter. Shifting his weight and trying to adjust his blankets with one hand, Naruto growled at said blankets when he found that he couldn't.   
  
Sasuke's hands shot out to help him. "I can do it by myself," Naruto grumbled.   
  
"Shut up and let me help you," Sasuke shot back.   
  
Surprisingly, Naruto allowed Sasuke to help him. He wasn't even sure why this was so, but it was happening all the same. As soon as Naruto was comfortable, Sasuke sat back in his chair, eyes clouded over with memory. Naruto stayed silent, waiting for Sasuke to begin his story.   
  
"It happened when I was seven or eight," Sasuke began, resting his chin on his hand as he stared at the wall. This memory was fresh with him. "I had a pretty okay family – dad, mom, older brother, and me. We got along okay – well, I got along with everyone. Itachi, my brother, and my dad had more than a few problems. What makes me feel even worse is that these problems were more or less my fault."  
  
Naruto looked at the boy, who was refusing to look back at him. Naruto knew why. It was harder to talk about the past when you could see the other person's reaction to everything you say. Still, he found that he could not look away from his friend, no matter how much he wanted to, to give Sasuke more comfort.   
  
"It's strange – my brother was the pride and joy of our family. He was a genius from young age. People call me a genius sometimes. I'm nothing compared to Itachi. But he didn't treat me like I was inferior. In fact, he was the only person in the world that didn't treat me like I was his inferior. He treated me as a brother. He was always there. My father wasn't. My mother wasn't. But Itachi was."  
  
Sasuke smiled as he remembered all the time his brother had been there for him. Whenever he was hurt – emotionally or physically – Itachi had always been there.   
  
"My father used to never shut up about Itachi," Sasuke continued. "'You have to work harder to attain Itachi's level' or 'Why can't you be more like Itachi' was all I ever heard as a child. Normally, that would've made some people bitter, but it never made me stop feeling like Sasuke when I was a kid. Itachi was always there, telling me how I had things that he didn't. Itachi can't draw a picture to save his life. He would always remind me of how much he loved my pictures and my stories, which I only shared with him when I was a kid. Since I wasn't that good in math or science, like he was, we would help each other. He would help me with math and science whilst I would help him with art and English. It was the way that it had always been, ever since I was younger.  
  
"I remember something from when I was about five and was entering this prestigious school, Sandaime Academy, which was near my house. It was customary for a family member to come on the first day for the opening assembly. Father wanted Itachi to work with him in the laboratory on the same day, because they were close to making some important discovery and if Itachi helped, his rank as a scientist would be fulfilled, bringing the Uchiha Clan more prestige than before. He was only thirteen, at the time, but his brain would equal any scientist in the world.  
  
"Father was reminding him of this…"  
  
**FLASHBACK** _(I don't know how to describe this part in words, as though Sasuke is talking, so just pretend he's telling about this event to Naruto while the audience – that's you – get to read the full story! Aren't you happy?)  
_  
_Sasuke and Itachi had been at the park that day and whilst running around, Sasuke had tripped over a tree root and sprained his ankle. Since they were to meet up with their father, Itachi gave Sasuke a piggyback ride to the laboratory where their father worked. They met him at the side of the building.   
  
"You're late, what were you doing?" the father asked. Before he gave either boy a chance to answer, he looked directly at Itachi. "I have something to tell you, we have to hurry back."  
  
"All right," Itachi said and walked behind his father as the man led them back to their home.   
  
The three went into the meeting room. Sasuke only tagged along because he had something to tell his father.   
  
"That's my boy," Father said warmly to Itachi, completely ignoring Sasuke's presence. "You've come far in the half year sine you graduated from Sandaime Academy." Graduates were usually nineteen or twenty, but Itachi had graduated when he was twelve. "I'll be there tomorrow with you, Itachi, during the final stages of our research."  
  
Both boys stayed silent, waiting for their father to continue. He always did.   
  
"If this trial is successful, you're enlistment to the Bureau of Science will be official. Do you understand?" he asked his son.   
  
"Don't worry about it too much," Itachi replied. "However…" The older brother turned to Sasuke with a kind smile on his face, urging the boy to tell their father what he was here to say. Sasuke smiled back, grateful for his brother's belief in him.   
  
He turned to his father, talking shyly as he said, "Erm, Dad… for tomorrow's…" he began.   
  
His father completely and utterly ignored him.   
  
"OUR MISSION TOMORROW WILL BECOME A VERY IMPORTANT EVENT TO OUR CLAN!" the father almost screamed passionately, but managed to control his voice to be so that if he was talking fiercely. His father seemed not to have heard anything the young boy was saying.   
  
Sasuke's face fell, realizing that his father would never listen to what he had to say. He bit this inside of his cheek, trying to keep tears from falling. If only his father would look at him for once. If only someone would see Sasuke for once. Alas, that seemed not to happen.   
  
Itachi looked at his younger brother, realizing what was happening. "I guess I'll drop tomorrow's mission," he said clearly.   
  
Sasuke's eyes widened and his tears were forgotten as he stared, surprised, at his older brother.   
  
"WHAT?" his father yelled. "Are you insane?! You know how tomorrow is crucial! What is going on with you?"  
  
Itachi stared back at the angry man passively. "I'm going to Sasuke's entrance ceremony into Sandaime Academy," he told the man, a small smile on his lips. "The entrance ceremony usually requires one family member to go along. You've received the notice too, Father."  
  
His father started to rise. "I understand. I will go to the ceremony tomorrow."  
  
After their father left, Itachi turned to Sasuke. "Hey," he murmured, ruffling the boy's hair. "Keep that leg cooled down."  
  
Sasuke nodded. Though neither acknowledged it, both brothers knew the only reason that their father was going to Sasuke's entrance ceremony. Itachi walked away, Sasuke staring after him.   
  
_**END FLASHBACK!**  
  
Sasuke was silent after that particular memory. Now that he was older, he had accepted the fact that his father was only going for Itachi and that he didn't care in the least about Sasuke's ceremony. However, it was still hard to accept.   
  
"What happened next?" a small voice asked.   
  
Sasuke's head sprang up, and he realized that he had not continued his story. "Huh?" he asked softly, though only out of habit.   
  
"What happened next?" Naruto repeated. Sasuke stared at the boy and noticed the softened look in Naruto's cerulean blue eyes. He smiled. That look reminded him so much of the look that his brother used to give him, would still give him if only Itachi were still around.   
  
"As I was saying – everything changed when I was around seven or eight," Sasuke averted his gaze back to the dull white walls. Naruto stayed silent once more, after successfully startling the raven-haired child out of his reverie. "Itachi was now sixteen and had had enough of what Father was putting on both of us. Father still didn't treat me as though I was worth being noticed. I tried really hard at the Sandaime Academy. Obviously, I did better at art and English than anything else. Father seemed disappointed in this. To him, it looked as though I was stupid or weak. I wasn't worth his attention, apparently. I wouldn't have known this if I hadn't had to go to the bathroom that night.  
  
"I was walking to the bathroom when I overheard the voices of my father and brother…"  
  
**ANOTHER FLASHBACK **_(and for the same reasons as the last one. Heehee)  
  
"Father!" Itachi yelled at the man. "Don't say anything like that about Sasuke. He tries really hard in school just to get your acknowledgement!"   
  
"That boy does not deserve my acknowledgement! He does not deserve anything that I have to offer him. He is weak, stupid and has no business being an Uchiha!"   
  
There was a loud thud. Apparently, Itachi had punched the floor. "No business being an Uchiha?" he repeated, rage in his voice. His hand had clenched into a fist and he was shaking with all the anger he had piled up. "If he has no business being an Uchiha, than neither do I!" he shouted, looking into his father's cold, black eyes.   
  
"Nonsense," Father told Itachi. "You are a son I am proud of. Sasuke and you are just too different. I don't know how the boy turned out like that, but it was no fault of mine. No fault of yours either, so stop worrying about it."  
  
Itachi just glared at his father, openly showing emotion to the older man. It was the first time in years.   
  
"Don't you get it!" he shouted, angrily.   
  
"Get what, son?" Father replied softly. He looked at his son with emotionless eyes.   
  
Itachi smirked. "If being an Uchiha means that I am the son of an asshole, then I want no part of it," he said coldly to the man.   
  
Sasuke, who was staring through an eyehole he had poked through the paper-ish door stifled a gasp. If Itachi left… then everything would be worse. Itachi was one of the only reasons that Sasuke ever found happiness.   
  
Father's eyes glared at the boy. "What are you saying?" he growled.   
  
"I'm not an Uchiha anymore, Father," Itachi replied, head held proudly. "I will not play your games anymore. I don't need rank or money for me to have pride in myself. And I cannot stand to be in this house any longer!"   
  
"Itachi…" the older man snarled, eyes glowing with hatred for this new attitude. "Is that how you pay all that I've done for you? I've made sure that you have succeeded! You are set for life with what I have given you!"  
  
Itachi, who had turned to leave, looked over his shoulder at his father, a cold smile on his lips. "What have you giving me, Uchiha-san?" he asked. "Everything that you have 'given' me, I could've earned by myself. You did nothing for me, and so I am returning the favor."  
  
Before Itachi could move a step further, he felt something enter his back. He gave out a cry of pain as the knife penetrated his skin and smashed into his spinal cord, dropping to the floor. He knew that blood was leaking everywhere and he stared up at the man with hatred in his eyes.   
  
His father looked at him coldly. "If you are not going to be my son, then you will not live," he said in a soft, dangerous voice.   
  
Itachi smiled grimly. "Death is a better life for me than to stay here and pretend to be something I am not," he told his father. He looked directly at where his brother was. Sasuke's eye, that was looking through, was wide with horror.   
  
His father left him through a different door.   
  
Sasuke hurried in. "Itachi!" he said softly, dropping to his knees beside his brother. He was crying, and despite how he knew that it was weak, he felt no urge to stop. Sasuke hugged his brother.   
  
"Don't leave me, Itachi, don't go anywhere," he sobbed into his brother's shoulder. Itachi, who had managed to get up into a sitting position by leaning against a wall, embraced his younger brother.   
  
"Gomen ne, Sasuke-kun," he whispered sorrowfully. "Daisuke, ototo." His hands dropped as his breath and heartbeat stopped. Sasuke hugged the dead weight of the body closer to him.   
  
"No!" Sasuke yelled. "ANIKI!"   
  
No one heard the child's cries.  
  
_**END FLASHBACK!**  
  
"When Mother asked Father the next day where Itachi was, Father said that he had disowned the boy because of impertinence," Sasuke was saying. Naruto's eyes were wide. To have his only family killed right before his eyes, that must've been hell. And yet the boy was still alive.   
  
"My teachers at Sandaime told Father that I should come here. Since I am his only son, and he wanted me to shine because he no longer had Itachi, he did. You know the rest."  
  
Sasuke was still so intently looking at the wall that he didn't realize Naruto reach out. He felt surprised when Naruto brought him into a two-armed hug, despite the pain that was shooting up his arm.   
  
Sasuke also noticed something else, when he felt the water on his head as he lay there, cradled against Naruto. The blonde was crying – for Sasuke, the blonde was crying. He was stunned that he couldn't do anything. Even though Naruto had gone through so much, he was crying for Sasuke's sake.   
  
"Gomen nasai," Naruto muttered, choking a little bit on his sobs.   
  
Sasuke looked up at him. "Why… why are you crying?" he asked softly, not wanting to know the answer and at the same time, wanting to. Sasuke knew that if the blonde was crying out of pity, he didn't want it. He never liked others' pity.   
  
"Because," Naruto began, thinking on the answer. Why _was_ he crying? He let a small, sad smile grace his lips as he continued his reply. "Because… I know the pain of not being comforted when you really need to be… because… even though I didn't have parents, I know what its like to lose something close to you… because… I care."  
  
In his mind, Naruto heard Kyuubi asking him almost the same thing.   
  
_"Why are you hugging me? I killed 786 people? How can you care?"_  
  
"Because… no one deserves to be alone."  
  
**_Kyuubi-chan's Corner:  
  
The first flashback is a revised version of Chapter 220. However, the second is all of my own making. I decided to make the end result different from the manga, mainly because I needed Sasuke to still have a family for reasons that none of you shall know. MWA HAA HAA! Also, because I can, I'm answering a review. I find this review amusing, so I decided to answer it. I'll also answer all of the questions that I've gotten in reviews of I Bleed Black. Can't you tell I'm bored?  
  
Question 1: Are you a Japanese citizen? (submitted by snotty chim-chim)  
  
No, sorry. I'm just obsessive of learning anything I can to find out about their customs. I blame my brother for getting me into anime, my best friend for getting me into manga, my freshman English teacher for reading Japanese haiku (I had to correct some of her pronunciations… humbug)  
  
Question 2: What kind of melody would you use on this one? (Chapter 2, submitted by fire)  
  
The melody for this one is mostly a slow/fast song. During the verses, its fast with longs of guitar and drums behind it, yet during the chorus its mostly occupello, with the exception of a slow serenade from the keyboard.   
  
Question 3: Are you actually doing anything with them? Next to putting them in this fic? (talking about poems. Submitted by V G Jekyll)  
  
My band, Monkeypox Mafia, and I are trying to transfer them to music. So far, we've only gotten to a few of them, because of summer and we live far away from each other, our work has slowed down. When September rolls around, we hope to pick up on these once again.  
  
Question 4: did you write those yourself? (submitted by Toki Mirage)  
  
With the help of the other singer of Monkeypox Mafia, yes.  
  
Question 5: can u put some action in here? (Toki Mirage)  
  
I'm working on it, okay? =D I first have to set the scene!  
  
Question 6: where's Itachi? (Yami Ami)  
  
Ano… this is why Itachi's not really in this fic. It's kind of hard when the boy's dead, neh?  
  
Question 7: And what's up with Sasuke's last remark!? When is Itachi going to show up? If ever? And why does the name 'Uchiha' get Sasuke basically anythign he wants? (Your Lord and Master Cantido)  
  
Does this answer your Itachi question? Heehee, I know I didn't explain it well, but Uchiha is an important scientific name, so the family's pretty much famous. That's why Uchiha gets Sasuke pretty much everything he wants.   
  
Question 8: Anyway, what about Sasuke's angst..doesn't he get some angst? (Kurisuteru-chan)  
  
Angsty enough for you, mate?   
  
Question 9: I was wondering though if you made up that part about emotional wounds bleeding black or if you read/heard it some where? (Alicia McClellan)  
  
I heard it in a dream, so I'm not sure if I can say I made it up or not. I believe dreams are travels to other dimensions and my entire theory is too long to put here, also too confusing for most people. Hell, it confuses me! So yeah, I can't say that I said it, but I know that I didn't read it somewhere. It's partly because of Saber Marionette J-X, I suppose. Yan, from that series screams, "YOU MACHINES CAN NEVER UNDERSTAND THE PAIN AND SUFFERING OF THOSE WHO BLEED RED." It got me thinking about if we really bled red. Also, another series, though I forget which one, a character was talking about how much his chest hurt, but he wasn't bleeding and he didn't know why. That's where some of the theory comes in. There's other references, but I really can't remember them all.  
  
Question 10: Can u surprise us? (Toki Mirage)  
  
I don't know, did I? I decided to take what actually happened in the manga and inverted it. Instead of Itachi killing his father, his father killed Itachi.  
  
Question 11: Why so angsty? (Toki Mirage)  
  
Cuz I'm the writer and what I say goes. Don't you love that answer?  
  
Question 12: Where's the Lemony goodness (Toki Mirage)  
  
Think. It's FFN, they don't allow lemons and I'm not a good lemon writer. Anyone knows that if they check my profile and go to the rewrite of Smile, Empty Soul on I'm ashamed of some of those lemons, so why ruin a good story with a bad lemon?  
  
Question 13: I wonder, when r u goin to end it? (stupidbakaznfool)  
  
I'm actually not sure. Normally, I'm constricted because of CD songs, but this time I'm not. I suppose, I'll end it when the story has been told. That's the only answer I can give you. I'm writing the chapters as they come, I haven't planned ahead. =P That's just what I do. I don't plan ahead, and still everything comes together in the end, I hope. Hopefully, this one will be the same as the rest, only longer.   
  
Submit more questions, and I'll answer them all, okay? WHEEEE I hope I managed to answer sufficiently all the questions that were given to me. I'll try to do this version of Kyuubi-chan's Corner every chapter. It only occurred to me when I got "Question 1" that I should do something like this.   
  
Oh well, review!   
  
-Kyuubi-chan-_**


	9. I'll Give you Everything

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto, hence that I'm writing this disclaimer, BAH.

**Warnings**: the same as the last eight chapters… duh… anyways, its violence, shonen ai, and other fun stuff like that. Yippee!

**Pairings**: SasuNaruSasu… I don't think I'm able to do anything else. My obsession prevents me from doing that.

**Summary**: One's an artist, one's a poet… guess what happens when they meet? Random shit, of course!

**I Bleed Black**

**Chapter 09**

Naruto looked down at the sleeping Sasuke. The raven-haired boy had fallen asleep soon after talking about what had happened to his brother. Even though Naruto seriously knew he would die if he ever told Sasuke this, the Uchiha looked so cute when he was asleep.

He found his sketchbook and began to sketch the boy, trying to not make a lot of noise with the pencil. The Uchiha didn't wake up. As he was drawing, Naruto hoped that his skills as an artist would be good enough to do his best friend justice. He wanted to capture the innocence of the young boy that he saw on Sasuke's unguarded sleeping face. And he didn't want to screw it up.

Sasuke reminded Naruto of a cat. When he slept, it was as though he curled up and Naruto swore that the raven-haired boy purred instead of snored.

It took the blonde close to an hour before he deemed the picture complete. Sasuke sat on his chair, leaning onto the bed, using folded arms as his pillow. His hair came into his eyes slightly and you could only see half of his face. This was because the other half was buried slightly in his arms, as well as hidden behind the black hair and drooped into his features.

Naruto smiled, feeling as though he had succeeded in what he wanted to do. Suddenly, a creative idea came into his head. He began to write a poem next to the drawing. He wanted all of his pictures to tell a story, and what better way than to team them up with poems – that way people could see the full story behind the picture and hopefully have to think about the hidden meaning in his words.

_You are surrounded_

_Surrounded by shadows_

_The dark past you hold_

_Brings little light in your heart_

_But look ahead, forget the past_

_Even though it's hard_

_You act so cold, so icy_

_But look at your face when you sleep_

_I think you were sent from heaven_

_To fulfill promises that you keep_

_Sometimes I wish that I could say_

_How much you mean to me_

_But when I look at your sleeping face_

_I realize some things are not to be_

_So I'll watch you silently, without you knowing_

_And I'll make sure nothing harms you_

_So sleep on, young boy, _

_Let all your dreams take wing_

_If I could – if I could_

_I'd bring you everything_

Smiling to himself, Naruto hid the picture, closing his sketchbook and putting it back on the table. It wouldn't do to have Sasuke know how he truly felt – not yet. The older boy would probably be repulsed by the idea that Naruto could like him more than a friend and Naruto didn't need to deal with that pain – not yet, not right now.

Slowly, Naruto pushed Sasuke hair behind his ear so that it wouldn't get into the sleeping boy's eyes. The Uchiha really did look beautiful when he slept. He didn't have a cold expression on his face, in fact, he seemed to be frightened by something.

Naruto, out of some impulse, started to sing to the boy. He sung the words of his favorite song.

"Cultivate your hunger before you idealize," he began to sing softly. His voice wasn't too bad either. "Motivate your anger to make them all realize. Climbing the mountain, never coming down. Break into the contents, never falling down. My knee is still shaking, like I was twelve, Sneaking out of the classroom, by the back door. A man railed at me twice though, but I didn't care. Waiting is wasting for people like me. Don't try to live so wise. Don't cry 'cause you're so right. Don't dry with fakes or fears, 'cause you will hate yourself in the end." He noticed that Sasuke stirred and looked at the clock on the wall. It was nearly six in the morning. He wasn't sure how early Sasuke normally woke up, but Naruto was usually asleep until ten or eleven, if his insomnia wasn't bothering him. Unfortunately for him, his insomnia seemed to be hating him right about now, or laughing in his face. Whichever meant that it was tormenting him and wouldn't let him sleep. Seeing how Sasuke didn't move anymore, Naruto assumed that the boy had shifted in his sleep and that it was okay to sing more. Sasuke's look of fear was gone, for which Naruto was very relieved. "Don't try to live so wise," he began again, looking down fondly at his best friend. "Don't cry 'cause you're so right. Don't dry with fakes or fears, 'cause you will hate yourself in the end. You say, 'Dreams are dreams. I ain't gonna play the fool anymore.' You say, ''Cause I still got my soul.' Take your time, baby, your blood needs slowing down. Breach your soul to reach yourself before you gloom. Reflection of fear makes shadows of nothing, shadows of nothing." 

Sasuke moved again, looking blearily up at Naruto while the blonde was finishing the note. Noticing that the normally stoic boy had heard him, Naruto immediately clammed up, turning a bright red color.

Sasuke smiled when he saw the blonde's shyness. He found it cute in some weird way. Looking through tired eyes, he murmured, "Don't stop… it was nice…"

"I-I'm sure you don't want to hear me trying to sing," Naruto stammered. He balled up the fist on his uninjured arm and stared down at his lap. Sasuke laughed, a real one as he saw this.

"You have a good voice," he said, not moving from his curled up position. "It's comforting." Naruto began to chew on his bottom lip so Sasuke moved one of his arms, placing his hand over Naruto's. Naruto stared at the hand in shock and snapped his head back up to stare at Sasuke. The stoic boy wasn't fully awake yet, but he looked at Naruto, gaze seeming to see right through the boy. "Please?" was all he asked.

Slowly, Naruto nodded. He would sing the rest of the song… and then Sasuke would be able to never tell him to sing again. Slowly, he readied himself to start up where he had left off.

"You still are blind, if you see a winding road, 'cause there's always a straight way to the point you see," he sang softly. "Don't try to live so wise. Don't cry 'cause you're so right. Don't dry with fakes or fears, 'cause you will hate yourself in the end. Don't try to live so wise. Don't cry 'cause you're so right. Don't dry with fakes or fears, 'cause you will hate yourself in the end." 

"That's a nice song," Sasuke said sleepily, a childish grin still plastered on his face. "Whazzit called?"

"Ano… ano…" Naruto mumbled, trying to remember. "Wind. It's called Wind. It's by a band called Akeboshi."

Sasuke nodded. He climbed onto the bed. "I'm gonna sleep. Night," he said before falling dead asleep on Naruto's bed, hand wrapped around Naruto's waist and head snuggled up to Naruto's shoulder. The raven-haired boy readjusted himself once every few minutes, as though he couldn't find the right spot on Naruto's shoulder to snuggle up to.

Naruto was turning a very dangerous shade of red from embarrassment. He hoped that nobody came into the room whilst he was like this.

Unfortunately, his hopes were short lived. Five minutes after Sasuke had finally gotten to sleep, none other than the blonde's red-headed roommate came in.

Raising an eyebrow at the sight of Uchiha Sasuke actually snuggling up to none other than Uzumaki Naruto, Kyubi couldn't help snickering. He sat down in the chair that Sasuke had previously occupied and stared at Naruto, who was avoiding his gaze at all costs. Kyubi could see the boy's cheeks flaring a bright red, embarrassed, whilst Sasuke snuggled up to the boy even further.

"Well, this is a surprise…" Kyubi said softly.

"Urusai!" Naruto hissed.

Kyubi laughed softly. "You know, sometimes I just wonder when it comes to you," the golden-eyed boy answered. "But then I realize that some things can't be explained."

"Cut the crap, Kyubi… is there a reason you're here?" Naruto snapped, not happy at all at being caught in this position, but his roommate nonetheless. Oh, he was _never_ going to hear the end of this. Nope, never.

"I can't visit my beloved little roommate?" Kyubi asked, looking hurt.

"I've been in here for two weeks and you haven't visited me once. Why are you here?"

Kyubi's face grew serious. "Naruto… I came to warn you," he said in a soft voice. "Akatsuki found out that you're still alive. They know where you are – though they don't know that I'm nearby or else I would've already been ordered to kill you. However, they are sending their top assassins after you!"

Naruto stared at the boy, blue eyes wide and fearful. "N-no… this can't be right!" he muttered. He looked at Kyubi, his eyes boring into the redhead. "Please… please tell me that it's not true. Please!"

Kyubi stared back, eyes full of regret and sympathy. "Gomen nasai, Naruto-kun," he said. "But it is."

Naruto could almost hear the cracking sound as his entire world shattered right in front of him.

**_Kyuubi-chan's Corner:_**

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**_So, minna-san, what did you think? Whee, I actually like this chapter. I know that Sasuke snuggling up to anyone is somewhat… OOC… but he's half asleep and EVERYONE acts different when they're half asleep. They're inhibitions are lowered, too… so I hope everyone liked the fluff scene. _**

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**_I wanted to do this to Naruto – have Akatsuki find out about him. Don't ask me why. I guess I just needed something to do with this fic, considering I really have nothing – except for Orochimaru's gang. And that's getting boring. So let's add in the mafia, shall we? Tell me what you think!_**

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**_Oh humbug, I was going to do a Question/Answer Section, but I'm lazy, so I'll just reply to each individual review. Bah… this is so troublesome in a way. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN TO STOP REVIEWING! REVIEW MORE, if possible._**

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**_kodoku no ookami: thanks for the compliment on my poems/songs. =D How'd ya like this one?_**

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**_Kurisuteru-chan: Yay, I'm happy you're happy with the Sasuke angst. Do you know how hard it was to keep it modern though? I had to think of all these weird names… like Bureau of Science, instead of Anbu. And I didn't name the father because I didn't want to… wheee… I hate trying to figure out names for science things. It hurts my poor brain. _**

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**_Renn: Honto ne? You really think it keeps getting better? YOSH! I'm not failing as a writer and making it worse!_**

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**_Wolfgirl13: ((nods)) I thought the end was sweet, too… and my alter ego – Kuma-chan – wanted fluff. Geez, Kuma-chan is so annoying sometimes… but I actually copied the last sentence from what I wrote about Kitsune Kyubi in the chapter before, I think. Or maybe it was chapter eight. Heck, I don't know these things anymore._**

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**_SquirrelofShadows: Yeah, not much happened, but I figured, since I threw Naruto's past out there, that I might as well throw Sasuke's while I'm at it. But I FINALLY have a plot now! Yay… before I was just doing whatever. -.-"_**

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**_Lord Zork: Awww, shameless advertisements… kawaii desu!!! =P Its okay… no one's going to hold it against you, I hope. Well, I'm not. ((nods)) yes… poor Sasuke-kun… but someone was asking for angst… so I decided to do the best I could on an empty stomach. I ran out of ramen last Thursday and just got more today… ((sighs)) I'm pathetic. _**

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**_Anime Lass: Thanks for complimenting the Flashbacks. I wasn't sure if that was the right way to do 'em, but I tried my best, so yeah. I couldn't figure out how to go through the flashbacks with Sasuke talking. It wouldn't be as effective. Anyways, good luck on your fic!_**

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**_kashisenshey: Wheee… I feel so happy I got some respect… I usually don't at school or camp or in my house. I'm just the idiot everywhere… and someone actually saying they respect me… it makes me feel warm and fuzzy. Arigato gozimasu kashi-chan! Ano… can I call you Kashi-chan? _**

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**_chibichidori16: Well, now you know what happened to his family. Happy childhood neh? ((that was said very sarcastically)). Anyways, I hope that you continue with YOUR fic too! Please? _**

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**_izumi: Ano… Naruto hugged Kyubi in the memory from a year ago. It was in Chapter Seven, I think… Ano.. Kyubi being a weird mafia member and Naruto being a weird mafia outcast (in a way), Naruto hugged Kyubi when the redhead was having a mental breakdown. Sorry for the confusion there. I hope I explained it. eh heh… heh heh…_**

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**_Toki Mirage: What? You expected me to follow in the footsteps of Kishimoto-sama and have Itachi be the weird freaky murderer person? Bah… I was getting tired of that storyline, so I created my own! MWA! Anyways, glad I surprised you! _**

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**_Dark Mimiru-Chan: Well, I can't put in too much action yet, because I'm still setting the stage for later action, but isn't the snuggling scene cute? Just like I've always wanted Sasuke to glomp someone, I've kinda always wanted something like this. ((giggles)) Guess I'm just a hopeless fangirl. _**

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**_Kutsu: Sorry, Kutsu-san, but its so… I had so many ideas running through my head. That Itachi could be Sasuke's roommate, or Itachi could be evil and Naruto has to save Sasuke or something like that. However, I didn't know how to put it into this story and since I didn't want to keep people hopeful of his coming into the fic… I did the only thing I could… I scarred Sasuke for life using Itachi! But not in the same way as Kishimoto-sama uses him! In fact, I kind of did the opposite._**


	10. Falling Star

**Disclaimer**: You know what… if you haven't read the last nine, then you won't read this one. But guess what everyone? I don't own Naruto. If I did, Sasuke and Naruto would be getting together soon… and it would be an NC-17 manga… besides. I can't draw that good.  
  
**Warnings**: same as the disclaimer  
  
**Pairings**: SasuNaruSasu, duh  
  
**Summary**: Two boys, both artistic, meet, have fun, almost get killed and try to stay alive throughout the entire ordeal. Yeap, I'm too lazy to write the actual summary, so I'm improvising. ((giggles))  
  
**I Bleed Black  
Chapter 10**  
  
Kyubi left soon after he delivered the news to Naruto. The blonde boy was still in a state of shock. He had to get out of here… he had to run – he had to escape, fly far away, and leave behind…  
  
Everything. Everything that was important.   
  
The blonde closed his eyes, allowing those important to him to flash on the backs of his eyelids.   
  
Kitsune Kyubi. Spiky red hair, narrowed golden eyes behind thin-framed glasses with an arrogant smirk on his face, yet also a brotherly love in that weird expression.   
  
Uchiha Sasuke. Spiky black hair, caring black eyes. Pale skin that could rival the moon's glow. Standing in front of Naruto with a simple smile on his face, and yet that smile meant the world to Naruto.   
  
Umino Iruka. A good teacher. Brown hair in a ponytail, strange scar across his nose, caring brown eyes. Someone who believe Naruto was worth something.   
  
Hatake Kakashi. Silver hair combed over his left eye, while the other smiled. Wearing a strange scarf that seemed to make him like the ninjas in the comic books, he was always encouraging Naruto to succeed in his own special way.   
  
Jiraiya. Old pervert, kinda weird, and wrote strange books, but always knowing how Naruto felt – always able to lend help if he thought the blonde needed it.   
  
Tsunade. She was able to fix up anything that Naruto had and never asked questions as to where he got his injuries. He sometimes helped her with the other students because he had nothing better to do. She was a good companion to talk to.   
  
Naruto hated the fact that he had to leave these people behind. He hated the fact that he had to disappear and maybe never see them again. Looking down at the warmth on his side, he chewed on his lip, feeling tears in his eyes. There was Sasuke.   
  
Sasuke was probably the one person he cared for the most. Not even as the person who might've stolen his heart, but as someone like himself. Someone who was alone in a room full of people, just like Naruto.   
  
But above all, someone he could call a friend.  
  
Slowly detangling himself from the raven-haired boy, he tucked the boy into the bed. Smiling at him, Naruto, without even realizing it, leaned forward and gently kissed Sasuke on the forehead.   
  
"Goodbye, Sasuke-chan," he whispered, choking back sobs. He wrote a small note to the boy in order to explain his absence and then… he left.   
  
Soon after Naruto had left the room, Sasuke woke up. He looked around, wondering where the blonde was before noticing the boy's open sketchbook in front of him. Pulling it closer, he noticed something that was scrawled on one of the pages in the back.   
  
_Sasuke –   
  
Remember what I told you about my parents being part of a mafia group? Well, there's one thing I conveniently forgot to mention. Ever since I was a young child, I've had people try to kill me. Apparently, Akatsuki can't afford a free Uzumaki on their hands, afraid of what I could do. I don't understand it, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that they've found me once again. I'm leaving. I won't tell you where, because frankly… I don't know. All I know is that I have to get out of here before the assassins come and try to take my life. Please tell Iruka, Kakashi, Jiraiya and Tsunade "thank you" for me. I would do it myself, but there isn't enough time. Kyubi just informed me of what Akatsuki's doing. Yes, I know, why would Kyubi know? Unlike me, Kyubi is an active member of that group, though his missions have slowed down in the past few years. Don't blame him for all the crimes he's had to commit. He didn't want to, but he kind of had to – else he'd be dead. And if I didn't meet Kyubi… I don't know if I would be able to last this far.   
  
Anyway, please, Sasuke, don't come looking for me. If the Akatsuki catch you – you'd die in an instant, especially since your name is famous. For some reason, they despise any famous person. Just take care of yourself and everybody else. I'm sorry that I was such an ass to you when we first met… I just wasn't used to the idea of having a friend, I suppose. I still may not be used to it… but it hurts to say goodbye. And that's what I'm doing. I don't know how long I will live for, so I might never see you again. I'm really sorry, especially since I promised I would always be there for you because nobody deserves to be alone.   
  
But right now, I have to be alone in order to keep everyone else safe. I'm really sorry, Sasuke. I hope that one day you might be able to forgive me just leaving you like this. Oh yeah, and Thank you for helping me out whenever I got caught by Orochimaru's gang. You saved my life a few times there. Guess I'll repay the favor one day. For now, take care of yourself, okay?   
  
Naruto  
_  
Sasuke stared at the sketchbook, with its page opened to Naruto's goodbye note. His hands shook as he held the book. He didn't want to believe this to be true. This had to be one of Naruto's practical jokes. The boy he had come to depend on to always be there, smiling and laughing despite the past that the blonde had, wasn't there anymore.   
  
That couldn't be right!   
  
That couldn't be true.   
  
This had to be some type of practical joke.   
  
It just had to be.   
  
Sasuke hugged the sketchbook to his chest, feeling the tears well up in his eyes. This can't be goodbye, he thought as he stared at nothing. This just can't be.   
  
He remembered when the originally met – finally casting off the titles of Popular and Outcast. He remembered where he had originally talked to Naruto as though he was on par with Sasuke.   
  
_ "What are you reading?" _

_ "The Prince and the Pauper, if you have to know." _

_ "The Prince and the Pauper, eh?"   
  
"Yes, if you must know!"   
  
"What part are you up to?"   
  
"I'm just at the part where Edward Tudor is meeting Sir Myle."   
  
"Sir Myles is one of my favorite characters!"   
  
"Really? I've always liked Tom Canty best, but Sir Myles was a close second."  
  
"Why do you like Tom, because he's the victim?"  
  
"No… it's more because he's a lot like me."  
  
"Don't tell me you have an abusive father…"   
  
"No, nothing like that. It's because no matter what life throws his way – Tom never loses sight of himself. He doesn't want to be King; he just wants to be acknowledged by someone. Yeah… something like that."  
  
I was never able to give him that damn book_, Sasuke thought, remembering that he had promised to lend Naruto _The Adventures of Tom Sawyer_ soon after that conversation about _The Prince and the Pauper_ by Mark Twain. _I completely forgot about it._ Before he could stop them, memories of the times the two had together flashed in the boy's mind.   
  
_ "Can you say that without being in pain?"   
  
"YOU ASSHOLE!" Naruto screamed, launching himself at Sasuke. He managed to punch the Uchiha in the face before the boy had him pinned on the ground, knee digging into his back.   
  
Naruto glared upwards, struggling to move. He found that he couldn't and that only made him angrier. His cheek was smashed against the floorboards as he tried to move. Sasuke had him pinned down perfectly, and Naruto was immobile.   
  
"Now, be nice, Naruto-kun," Sasuke murmured in his ear before letting the blonde go.   
_  
Sasuke nearly laughed at the memory. That was one of the first times he had met the boy, actually gotten to know him a little bit more. He remembered the time that Naruto had tried to suicide and what had come out of it.   
  
_"NARUTO!"   
  
"Sasuke… what are you doing here? I was on my way to the kitchens because I'm starving. Where were you off to?"  
  
"I was finding you!" _

_ "What the hell do you have there, Sasuke?"   
  
"Your fucking poem!"   
_  
The tears fell harder. No, Naruto couldn't be gone. He was just hiding… he was just pulling a prank. He had to be! He had to!   
  
_ "Orochimaru rubbed dirt into my eyes. I can't see anything. Help me up."  
  
Instead of helping him up and letting him walk on his own (and probably fall again), Sasuke scooped Naruto up in his arms, making his way back to the blonde's dorm.   
  
Sasuke had faith in the fact that Kyubi would know what to do… at least, he hoped the redhead would. If Kyubi didn't know what to do, than the black-haired boy was at loss.   
  
"Why are you carrying me, Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "I can walk fine by myself."  
  
"I seriously doubt that," was all Sasuke said as they arrived at the dorm room.  
_  
Sasuke couldn't help the tears from falling. He couldn't help the weakness that seemed to overtake him. There was a knocking at the door of the hospital room. Gripping the sketchbook to his chest as if his life depended on it, Sasuke called for the person to enter.   
  
The person was none other than Kyubi-sama.   
  
Looking around the room and at Sasuke's tear-stained cheeks, he heaved a sigh. "I see… Naru-chan left already?" he asked in a soft voice.   
  
Sasuke just nodded. He didn't want someone to confirm that his best friend was gone.   
  
According to Naruto's letter – there was a good chance he might be killed.   
  
Sasuke might never see the blonde again.   
  
Never see the sun-kissed golden hair that spiked unnaturally above the boy's head.   
  
Never see the sea-blue eyes that barely showed any pain, but were always happy.   
  
Never see the smile that graced his best friend's face through good times and bad.   
  
Never see the way that Naruto was always being a klutz, but in a cute way.   
  
Never see the boy get mock angry again.   
  
Never be able to hug him and tell him that its okay to be sad.  
  
Never be able to call him "dobe" or "idiot" ever again.  
  
Never be able to sit on the school roof or dorm roof and watch the shooting stars that only came once every ten years or so.   
  
Never be able to help him realize that going after Orochimaru was stupid.   
  
Never be able to see how cute the boy was when he slept.   
  
Never able to talk about how some books were better than others.   
  
Never be able to learn more about the blonde.   
  
Never be able to say how much Naruto meant to him.   
  
Never be able to say "goodbye."  
  
The tears wouldn't stop. Kyubi came over to Sasuke and gathered the sobbing boy into his arms. Even though he was only a year older than the Uchiha, he had had to grow up much younger than Sasuke did so his mental level was around seventeen or eighteen. Sasuke cried into Kyubi's shoulder, remembering how this was how Itachi used to comfort him when he was little.   
  
The memory of Itachi – the only other person he thought had cared about him only made his wails louder.   
  
Now Uchiha Sasuke had lost two people due to family names. Due to heritage. Due to stupidity, in other words.   
  
The fact that now two of his most important people he would never see again was almost too much for the boy.   
  
Even as he hugged Kyubi, one arm kept a firm hold on the sketchbook. He was going to treasure this thing for the rest of his life. He was going to definitely read everything in here a thousand times until the pages were wrinkled and yellow with age.   
  
Pulling back from Kyubi, Sasuke opened the book to a random page. To his surprise, he saw a picture of Naruto and him together. Naruto had drawn the two of them on that night when they had watched the meteor shower. He had even colored it.   
  
It looked so real. The shading was perfect, creating shadows, whilst the two smiled up at the penciled heavens. Shooting stars wandered about and Naruto had his arm slung about Sasuke's shoulders. Both were grinning carelessly at the wonders above them. A poem accompanied this picture, as it had with many of the others. The title was called "Falling Star." Sasuke read it, feeling even sadder as he did so:

_When you were there for me  
To catch me when I fell  
I only hoped to return the favor  
But I never got the chance  
To catch you, catch you falling  
  
To catch me, as I fly  
Is to catch a falling star  
As she shoots through heaven  
To catch her, she runs away  
To catch me, I only ask you to find me  
  
I want you to let me go  
Let me leave and let me die  
Don't mourn for me too long  
I'm already gone from your heart  
And I will never come home again  
  
Life without you  
Will never be the same   
But through all the days  
I'll always be your   
Falling star  
  
I'm a falling star  
Coming home to you  
Holding me tightly  
In the days that are flying  
You know I'm a falling star  
  
The darkness that surrounds me  
Blocks off your loving light  
As I fall from the skies  
I see no one there  
And I realize, I'm just me  
  
I'm a shining star  
A shining, bright little star  
Yet you never loved the star  
You loved the Me inside  
Of the little fallen star  
  
A falling star  
That dims so slowly  
A falling star  
With no one there  
To catch her  
  
A little wish, I wish for you  
A little hope, I save for you  
A best friend, I see in you  
So come catch me  
Come catch a falling star_  
  
Sasuke, as he finished reading it, finally smiled. It was a soft smile, sad in a way. But he had his reasons for smiling right now. This poem – it described them so well, in a strange way. It described the two boys who were too alike for coincidence. Somehow, Sasuke felt strength as he read the last stanza.   
  
_A little wish, I wish for you  
A little hope, I hope for you  
A best friend, I see in you  
So come catch me  
Come catch a falling star_  
  
It's almost like he's asking me to always be there for him, Sasuke thought idly. Even now.   
  
"Kyubi," Sasuke said, turning to the boy. He stared directly at the boy, gaining hold of himself once more.   
  
"What?" Kyubi asked.   
  
"Where do you think that Naruto would go?" Sasuke asked, staring directly at the redhead. Kyubi shifted uncomfortably.   
  
"Why do you want to know that?" he asked.   
  
"Because I'm going to find him!" Sasuke swore.   
  
_**Kyuubi-chan's Corner:  
  
Yeah, I know, it's overly sappy. I don't know why I did this. I just felt that Sasuke would feel something like this in this fic. I mean, come on. He has only one true friend and that friend leaves him – and he knows that the friend is in danger. But besides that, I just feel as though this chapter kind of does him justice.   
  
Anyways, if any of you have read my Card Captor Sakura fics... especially the extra long one called The Search for the Cherry Blossom Tree (not sure if its still up, but whatever) then you'd recognize this song/poem. It was originally written for that fic, but I felt like adding it in here too. I love that song. I'm very proud of it, so nyah!  
  
It shows that even Uchiha Sasuke has a heart. And a spirit: one determined enough to find his friend and bring him home. The only question is… will he succeed?**_


	11. Seasons of Skies

**_All right, minna-san! This is Chapter 11 of I Bleed Black, here for YOU! Aren't you happy?_**   
  
**I Bleed Black  
Chapter 11**  
  
Naruto didn't know where he was going as soon as he left the hospital. He realized that he had no where to go.   
  
He looked back at the hospital as soon as he was a fair distance, staring at the window that he knew was his.   
  
"Gomen ne, Sasuke-chan," he whispered, knowing that Sasuke couldn't hear him, but not caring about that anyway. He was leaving his best friend.   
  
Part of him wished for Sasuke to come after him, but even more of him wanted Sasuke to stay away. To be with Naruto right now was too dangerous. Sasuke could be killed if he got caught in the crossfire.   
  
And if the enemy knew how much Naruto cared about the Uchiha, then both of them were done for. They would take Sasuke prisoner and use the Uchiha to lure Naruto out. Once they got Naruto, they would probably kill Sasuke and then kill Naruto.  
  
Naruto didn't want that for his friend. He wanted Sasuke to live – to be happy, even if Naruto didn't. He would protect his friend with his life, if need be. He had shown that spirit before – when Sasuke had almost been raped. Naruto would've gladly died if it meant Sasuke was safe.   
  
Shaking his head, Naruto wandered away from the hospital. Even if he wanted to go back, he couldn't. He couldn't endanger anyone at Konoha, which meant that Naruto would have to survive with what he had at the moment. He couldn't risk going back to gather things from his dorm.   
  
He didn't notice the shadow that detached itself from the wall and followed him.   
  
------  
  
Sasuke stared at Kyubi. The boy moved uncomfortably in the chair whilst Sasuke was still curled up on the bed.   
  
"Listen, Sasuke-kun," Kyubi began but was cut off.   
  
"Look, Kyubi, I don't give a flying fuck about anything other than where Naruto is. _Tell me where he could be!_" Sasuke barked at the boy.   
  
Kyubi shrugged. "In all honesty, Naruto could be anywhere. I don't know where he could be. I don't know his hiding places, I don't know his sanctuaries. I don't really know what the kid does when he's on his own."  
  
Sasuke glared. He shoved Naruto's sketchpad into his backpack and shouldered the bag. He started to walk towards the door but Kyubi stopped him.   
  
"Move," Sasuke snarled. "I'm going to find him and bring him back home."  
  
"Don't, Sasuke – you don't understand what Akatsuki's like!" Kyubi pleaded. "It's dangerous… it has top-notch assassins who don't care if innocents are murdered while they are trying to get their target. Because of their funds, Akatsuki can easily cover those things up."  
  
"I don't care," Sasuke snarled, his black eyes glaring at Kyubi's golden ones. "I don't give a damn about any of that – I'm going to protect Naruto."  
  
Sasuke tried to move past Kyubi again but Kyubi stopped him with a hand on the Uchiha's chest. "Naruto will be fine. He's used to this, having to deal with it since he was four and a half, apparently. He's learned martial arts and if he were in a dojo of some sort, he could be called a master," Kyubi explained. "There's nothing you can do for him that he cannot already do for himself."   
  
"Kyubi-."  
  
"Think, Sasuke-kun. If Naruto were to get hurt or killed, where would be the first place they'd bring him?"  
  
"The hospital."  
  
"Very good. And what are we standing in?"  
  
"The hospital."  
  
"You're smarter than the rumors say," Kyubi teased, ruffling the boy's hair. "Just wait it out, Sasuke-kun. Naruto will be fine."  
  
Sasuke sighed, sitting down on the bed. "I hope you're right," he murmured, staring at the floor.   
  
Kyubi nodded. "I have to go, as well," he told the boy. "I don't know when I'll be back though."  
  
"Where are you going?" Sasuke wanted to know.   
  
"I need to disappear before I'm told to kill Naruto."  
  
"Oh…" Sasuke mumbled.   
  
Kyubi hugged the boy. "I'll be back soon, I promise you that," Kyubi told him. "And if I see Naruto in my travels, I'll tell you how he fares. I'll even write, but I'll use a fake name."  
  
"What will your fake name be?"  
  
"Oh, when you see it, you'll know its mine," Kyubi laughed.   
  
Then the boy left.   
  
------  
  
Naruto wandered through the streets, not really knowing where he was headed. He didn't know where he should hide out this time. He didn't trust all of his other spots, so he needed someplace new.   
  
But where would he go?  
  
Where would he be safe?   
  
Naruto shook his head, trying to figure this out, but he couldn't. Something was preventing him. And that something was named Sasuke.   
  
Thoughts of the raven-haired boy kept sending themselves hurtling through his head. He couldn't think about his current situation because he was wondering if Sasuke had heeded his warning and _not_ followed him.   
  
The boy looked around him. Somehow or another, he had found his way into a park. Shaking his head, and realizing how late it was, he thought that he should probably catch a few hours of sleep.   
  
He curled up under an old tree and cursed at Akatsuki with everything he knew. "Dammit…" he growled softly, shivering in the cold but trying to ignore it at the same time. "First you have to fucking kill my parents and then you make my life a living hell, you fucking mafia!" He began to rub his t-shirted arms, trying to get the blood flowing again. "I hate you, Akatsuki."  
  
And then, just to the boy's luck, it began to rain.   
  
------  
  
Sasuke heard the distant boom of thunder, which made him stare out the window of "his" room. A flash of lightning accompanied it as rain spilled from the dark clouds above.   
  
_ I really hope Naruto's found shelter_, Sasuke thought to himself as he kept his eyes on the rain.   
  
After about a half an hour of watching the rain pattering on his window, Sasuke turned away from it. He looked at the closed sketchbook on his lap. It was big, with "Naruto" scrawled in messy handwriting across the cover. Sasuke almost grinned when he saw the doodles around the cover. He recognized some of the miniature scenes from random classics he had read over the years.   
  
_Naruto really isn't as dumb as everyone thinks he is_, Sasuke told himself with a small smile alighting his face. _In fact, he's probably smarter than some of the teachers. He just pretends to be dumb._ Sasuke closed his eyes, sighing. _But why would he want to hide something like that?  
_  
Sasuke didn't know the answer to that question. Instead of trying to figure it out, he decided that he would just have to ask Naruto when he saw him again.   
  
_That's right – "When I see him again,"_ the boy added in his thoughts. Keeping his eyes closed, he opened the sketchbook to a random page. This was basically how he read the poems – in a random order. If ever he landed on a poem he had already read, he would close the sketchbook and then repeat the ritual he had come up with.   
  
As it turned out, this time, he had not landed on a poem/picture he had already read, but rather, on a picture he thought had to be fake.   
  
The picture was split into four parts. Each part had the same scenery, but had a different season. The scene was a quiet dawn over one of the abandoned buildings of Konoha Academy. Sasuke was confused about why there was a Spring, Winter, Autumn and Summer version all next to each other until he looked at the scrawling of a poem next to it.   
  
The poem was entitled "Seasons of Skies."  
  
"Hmm… what?" Sasuke asked himself as he read through what was written. Slowly, it dawned on him. "Oh."  
  
_In the sky  
There are four seasons  
Each guarded by a Spirit  
For their own dear reasons  
_

_Autumn's cry is Water's Home  
Water watches the leaves change  
Bringing love and laughter  
And many delightful days  
_

_Winter is for Fire's glow  
Shrouded us in light and cold  
Living towards and with us  
Loving us, I know  
  
Spring is a call for Earth's Beauty  
Forests and flowers rise  
Against the snow that was before  
Tall trees reach joyously to the skies  
  
Summer's last, for Air's breeze  
Tranquil, loving, softly blowing  
Everything's at ease  
In the Air, watching you and me  
_  
Sasuke wasn't entirely sure what dawned on him, but he felt different – almost as though he understood Naruto more than before. The boy looked at the good of everything. Even with his… strange… past, Naruto was still an optimist.   
  
It made Sasuke question the boy's sanity, among other things.   
  
As he stared outside once again, he realized that the rain was not letting up. "Aww,_ fuck_ it!" he yelled as he shoved the sketchbook in his backpack. Grabbing one of the hospital's umbrellas and shouldering the bag, he began to run into the rainy streets, looking for his best friend.   
  
Screw what Kyubi said.   
  
Sasuke was determined to find and protect Naruto.  
  
He ran through the streets, asking anyone if they had seen a small, blonde boy run past. Nobody so far had seen such a sight.   
  
Suddenly an old woman came over to him. She was short, wearing a large coat over her frail form and holding an umbrella.   
  
"Sonny, are you lookin' fer a blonde in orange?" she asked in a scratchy voice.   
  
Sasuke nodded.   
  
"An' a cast on 'is arm, right?" she continued.   
  
Again, the boy nodded.   
  
"Go to the park… you'll find 'im there," she said and bade him farewell. Before Sasuke could thank her, she became one with the crowd again. Not bothering to find her and thank her, Sasuke made his way as fast as he could to the park.   
  
Stepping through the iron gates that showed the entrance to the green area, Sasuke wondered where Naruto could be.   
  
"Naruto!" he called, searching around him, trying to see through the thick torrent of rain that poured on his umbrella. "Naruto!"   
  
The boy wasn't answering. Not that Sasuke could blame him. He wasn't entirely sure he could be heard over the thunder that still crashed in the skies.   
  
It was gradually getting darker and the lamps set up over the park were doing very little to allow Sasuke to see. Sasuke wished he had some sort of bubble to make him able to see – and maybe that bubble should be on fire, shedding light onto his surroundings.   
  
Sasuke smiled at the passing thought. _Jeez, Naruto, I'm beginning to think like you_, he thought to himself, and then he remembered his original mission. _Okay, concentrate Sasuke, concentrate! If I were a blonde dobe, where would I be? Dammit, I'm not blonde, this isn't working. Focus, Sasuke!_ He shook his head vigorously before narrowing his eyes. He _would_ find Naruto, no matter what.  
  
He was traveling around for another hour, searching every part of the park before he finally decided to give up for the night and return when the rain let up. As he was walking down the path, heading for the exit, Sasuke caught something in the corner of his eye. Turning towards it, Sasuke noticed a blonde boy hugging his knees to his chest, under a large tree and trying to stay warm.   
  
The Uchiha ran over to the boy, standing in front of him for a moment, trying to catch his breath. Naruto, when he didn't feel the patter of raindrops on his head any longer, looked up, surprise entering his eyes as he registered the boy standing before him.   
  
"S-Sasuke?" he stammered, eyes widened and mouth slightly agape with surprise. "What are you doing here?"   
  
Sasuke shook his head as he sat in the mud, holding the umbrella over the both of them. "Isn't it obvious, dobe?" he asked.   
  
"No, or else I wouldn't be asking," Naruto shot back.  
  
"I'm here to get you," Sasuke said. "We're going home." He stood up again and offered his hand to the still sitting Naruto.   
  
Naruto stared at it for a moment, looking at it strangely, as though it was something new and foreign and in a way, it was. Hesitantly, he put his hand in Sasuke's and allowed the older boy to help him to his feet.   
  
Sasuke took off his jacket and wrapped it around Naruto, knowing the boy had to have been out in the rain for at least three hours. He held the smaller blond at his side with one arm around the boy's shoulders.   
  
Without a word, the two exited the park, heading back to the dormitories at the place that was both a school, and a home to them.  
  
**_Kyuubi-chan's Corner!  
  
Hao! It's Kyuubi-chan back with Chapter Eleven! Be happy everyone, I loved doing this story and I love reading all of your reviews. They make me feel special and warm and fuzzy and all that jazz. Even though I don't like jazz… but let's just say and all that rock! WHEE!   
  
Anyways, the poem, called "Seasons of Skies" is really important to me for several reasons. 1) The stupid thing is published. 2) Its on page one of The Colors of Life, a book (it was Editor's Choice, I'm so happy) and is under my penname, Inineen Autumnwolf. 3) It was the first thing I published in a book, rather than in a newspaper. Because I've had things in newspapers before. 4) This poem is a promise that I, unfortunately, didn't keep with my grandmother. My grandmother passed away last April. I had promised her in January that I would give her a copy of this poem. I never did. So it's a seed of guilt in my head. I always think of my grandma whenever I read this poem.   
  
Yeah, that's about all on the poem. I liked writing this chapter, too. It was different for me, but I can't really explain why. Who knows? Anyone want to take a guess at it? Anyone? No? Well, who cares? I'll just reply to reviews now, as there is nothing else for me to do, really.   
  
someone: I don't know the fate of these two and I'm the authoress, which is pretty sad. Hell, I'm not entirely sure how to continue with this fic, so I'll just do the best I can, neh?  
  
Lord Zork: wheee, thanks for the review! And yes, Sasuke is becoming a more determined young idiot… err… man… heh heh…  
  
Emis: Yeah, I originally got the idea, because in my head Sasuke is a lot like Naruto in many ways. He would never leave a friend in danger, and neither would Naruto, especially if he knew about the danger. You're right, in a way, it's a lot like when he goes after Naruto with Itachi and almost like with Haku, except he doesn't die this time! Whee!  
  
ElizabethMarieRose: I'm sorry for making you cry, truly, I am! But I was just thinking about what I would think about if a friend was taken from me in that fashion. Yeah, I suppose in this fic, I'm relating Sasuke a lot to myself… except I can't draw. Nope. Not at all… well, a little, but now well.   
  
Cat: ano sa, ano sa… what was the "OH WOW!" for… I'm confuzzled.  
  
Kurisuteru-chan: good, I'm glad you liked the sappy stuff. Hell, I put in a bunch of it just for you and your angst love… just kidding… hope it satisfied your angst though. Believe me, this story will probably get even more angsty as it continues.   
  
ghostninja85: I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for the review!  
  
Kashi-chan: I'm glad you liked it. I hope I'm able to keep this story as… well… "real" I suppose is the right word for it… as possible. Well, real for the situation and circumstances. Or maybe I'm not… ask my muse once he gets back. He left this morning with a sign that said "went fishing, be back soon" -.-" I outta murder him.   
  
kodoku no ookami: Yeah, that's my favorite stanza as well. I was wondering… what does your name mean?   
  
Wolfgirl13: "If I was the weepy type of person, I would cry." Lol, I know what you mean. I'm not that type of person either, but I've read some fics that have made me want to cry, even if I didn't.   
  
Dark Mimiru-chan: Since when was his name Sassy? That makes him sound like a weird chick.  
  
Toki Mirage: Have you really been updating, Toki-san?_**


	12. I Fall

**_Gomen nasai SquirrelOfShadows! I'm so sorry… TT please forgive me for forgetting to reply to your review. ((sobs))  
  
Well, here's Chapter 12 people.   
_**  
**I Bleed Black  
Chapter 12**  
  
Sasuke led Naruto back to the boy's dormroom. Since Kyubi wasn't going to be there, Sasuke figured that no one would protest if he temporarily moved into the room. At least until Naruto felt better.   
  
"You should take a hot shower before you catch a cold," Sasuke said as they entered the room. It was the exact same as it had been before they left it.   
  
Naruto nodded meekly, not really talking. Sasuke didn't press the boy for speech, but he was going to make sure that Naruto took care of himself. Naruto went into the bathroom that was part of the room and Sasuke could hear the faint hiss of the water turning on. Sasuke, because of the umbrella, wasn't too wet. He looked through Kyubi's clothing, most of which had been left behind. The older boy wore pretty much the same size as Sasuke did so Sasuke changed out of his somewhat wet clothes and borrowed Kyubi's. His own dormroom was in an entirely different building and if he went back, and changed, his new clothes would get wet on the way back.   
  
Besides, Sasuke knew that Kyubi wouldn't care.   
  
He lay back on Kyubi's bed, thinking about Naruto. He truly didn't know the boy all that well. What kind of past had Naruto had, being on the run like this all of the time.   
  
The only thing going through his mind at the moment was how much Naruto didn't deserve that.   
  
Naruto didn't deserve any suffering  
  
But he seemed to get it in spades.   
  
Sasuke sat there contemplating for what seemed the longest time. When he finally came to himself again, he realized that he hadn't seen Naruto return from the shower. Naruto had started his shower nearly a half an hour before.   
  
Sasuke, confused, walked to the bathroom door. He knocked on it, calling for the boy. He received no answer. Deciding that it was for the best, the raven-haired boy walked into the small bathroom. He looked at the mirror for a moment, after seeing the shower curtain closed.   
  
Walking closer to it, he put his hand on it, staring at his clear reflection. "That's strange," he murmured. "There's no steam. Walking over to where the shower was, he readied himself for a moment before opening the curtain.   
  
Naruto lay on the floor of the shower, eyes closed. His left wrist was slashed up and his right fist held the handle of a razor. He was still dressed in his pants, the cold water cascading down, onto his skin and then the floor, mixing with the blood. The first thing Sasuke did when he could finally move again was turn off the shower.   
  
He stared at the form of his best friend, not wanting to believe what was before him.   
  
But it was there.  
  
"Naruto!" Sasuke called, just in case the blonde still retained some part of consciousness. It was in vain, as it was clear that Naruto had blacked out. Sasuke didn't know for how long the boy had been out of it, though.   
  
He grabbed Naruto, scooping him up in his arms and taking him back to the main room of the dormroom. He put the blonde on the boy's bed, hoping that he wasn't too late. Grabbing some bandages from Kyubi's medicinal pack, Sasuke hurriedly wrapped the left forearm of his best friend.   
  
Naruto's eyes were closed and his breathing was far from even, as it normally would be if he were actually asleep.   
  
_ He probably blacked out from blood loss, and that's why he seems so unhealthy right now_, Sasuke thought, worry etched into his features. His hand brushed against the leg of Naruto's pants as he was putting something back in the first aid kit.   
  
They were soaking wet.   
  
Sasuke stood up and retrieved a pair of sweatpants from Naruto's drawers. He reminded himself that Naruto had boxers on underneath and so therefore, taking Naruto's pants off wasn't as perverted as it sounded to him. Besides, he was doing this so that Naruto didn't get sick and that should count for something!   
  
Blushing furiously, and seriously glad that no one was here to see him actually blushing, Sasuke changed Naruto's pants. After he did that (and regained the breath he had been holding), Sasuke tucked the boy in under the covers of his bed, leaving his arm out so that it didn't hurt because of the weight.   
  
_Although that would serve him right!_ Sasuke couldn't help but think. _How the fuck could he do that to me? Wait… Sasuke, stop acting like his girlfriend. It's not good. Dad would kill me.  
_  
Then a thought occurred to him: one that only made the current situation even worse that it was originally. It was something that made his eyes widen in fear.   
  
_Oh shit, Dad's gonna kill me when he finds out that I fell in love with a guy. He wants me to continue the family line… but if I really love Naruto, I can't. Oh damn emotions, I wish they didn't exist!  
_  
He glanced at the clock. It was nearly one in the morning. He pulled out Naruto's sketchbook, if only because he wanted to read it more. Plus, he needed something to take up the time until Naruto woke up. Sasuke was not giving the boy a chance to run away again. If he did that, he might not be able to find his friend again.   
  
Sasuke felt something clenching his heart, a tightening in his chest and he grabbed the front of his shirt. Why did he have to feel this way? Why? Didn't the gods torture him enough with Itachi and taking away the only person that cared?   
  
_Please, Kami-sama_, Sasuke said silently as he stared down at the sleeping blonde. _Don't make Naruto become a second Itachi… don't take him away from me. Please… Kami-sama, don't take Naruto from me!  
_  
Ending his silent prayer-slash-rant to whoever was listening, Sasuke stared at the boy again before opening the sketchbook. Naruto was now sleeping peacefully. His breaths had evened out. Sasuke leaned over the boy, a soft look in his eyes. Naruto looked so… at ease… so peaceful… so cute when he slept. It was such a deep contrast to what he was when he was awake that Sasuke couldn't help feeling his heart warm up whenever he saw it. It was just one of those feelings of perfect contentment that only come once in a while.   
  
He slowly leaned over and brushed the blonde bangs out of the boy's face, tucking them behind Naruto's ear. Slowly, almost hesitantly, he bent down and placed a soft kiss on Naruto's forehead. Hoping the boy wouldn't awaken, Sasuke hovered above his face for a moment before truly pulling back.   
  
He placed a hand to his lips, wondering what force had taken over him so that he had done that. He shook his head, deciding that figuring it out would have to wait for when he had had a decent night's sleep or, in other words, not now.   
  
In order to avert his head from such things as this, he opened the sketchbook to a random page. The picture was drawn only in pencil, unlike a few of the others, which had been penned and then colored. He stared at it, wondering what it could mean.   
  
There was Naruto… or someone who looked suspiciously like Naruto, jumping off the edge of a rocky cliff. He noticed that the face was horribly detailed. There was no fear there. Only determination, hatred, hope, sadness, the pain of being alone showed on the boy's face. The mask that he normally wore and drew was broken, as though there was nothing left to strive for. As though there were nothing left to live for.   
  
As soon as he thought that, Sasuke turned to Naruto. E_ven though I may not seem it, I'm always here… so live for me, Naruto…_ he thought.   
  
Above the suicidal boy in the picture was a clear, sunny sky with birds wafting to and fro. Sasuke understood what it meant. The world wouldn't miss him. In some pictures of death, the sky was crying. Naruto imagined that the sky would be rejoicing with him gone. Sasuke could barely hold back the feeling of immense sadness that threatened to overtake him.   
  
Was _this_ how Naruto thought of his life? Was this what the boy thought he was?  
  
Someone that no one cares for, someone that people wished to see gone?  
  
Is this what he thought when Sasuke had tried to be there for him?  
  
He looked down at the book in his lap, noticing that there was a poem right next to it. Entitled "I Fall" and most likely what the picture was based off, Sasuke let his eyes scan the words as he read what was scrawled on that page.   
  
_The tears do nothing  
More or less, except weakness  
And put you to the test  
To fear is only a child's scare  
To love is only a maiden's dream  
But me, I can neither love nor fear  
I've been through so much  
Why should I care?  
No one seems to care for me  
No one needs me here to see  
No one would care if I jumped  
Right here  
Would they ever care that   
I'm wearing thin?  
I should jump  
I'm at the end  
There's only one choice to make  
To jump or step back  
I'm not afraid to die, I never was  
Should I jump, my mind says so  
It's the face inside that laughs aloud  
As I leap from this twisted world  
And I pretend that someone out there cares  
But I know that no one does  
For there is no one  
There will always be no one  
There always has been no one  
So, with thoughts plaguing my mind,  
With the face laughing and leering  
With my heart breaking in my icy chest,  
I fall_  
  
As he read the poem, a memory seeped its way into Sasuke's vision.   
  
_ "Why are you here?" he asked softly, sitting down on his bed – which was the bottom bunk.  
  
"Because, Kyubi told me to stay here," Sasuke answered immediately.   
  
Naruto nodded, his face falling, but he forcefully brightened it a moment later. "Ah, that Kyubi – always being annoying like this," he said with a big smile. Sasuke hadn't missed the look of hurt in his eyes the moment before and was wondering what could make him smile like this right now. "You don't have to stay, you realize that, don't you?"  
  
"Actually, I do," Sasuke said in a soft voice.   
  
Naruto did a double take. "Stop lying, Sasuke, you don't want to be here."  
  
"Who says that?"  
  
"Who would want to be here with the Loser of the campus," Naruto bit back the sob that had been threatening to come out as he said this. "Who would want to be with the monster? Nobody in their right minds."  
_  
_Then call me insane, Naruto, because I like hanging out with you,_ Sasuke thought as he looked at the boy. _Maybe it's wrong to Society that you exist, but then its Society that's fucked up, not you. I care… 'cause you're one of my important people._   
  
Another memory of Naruto showed himself to Sasuke. The last time Naruto had tried to kill himself and Sasuke had stopped him. Naruto wasn't exactly happened about being stopped and had exploded at the raven-haired Uchiha.  
  
_Naruto felt anger lacing through his blood, making it boil and making him feel more rage. No one cared. Hadn't he seen that his entire life? No one fucking cared for Uzumaki Naruto.   
  
So why would someone start now? Why would someone go through the trouble of making friends with the loser of the school? He didn't understand it. The only conclusion he could come to is that it must be some kind of sick joke.  
  
His voice was low, dangerous as he spoke. "You think this is fucking funny, do you?" he growled. "You and the rest of you fucking assholes. Always watching me fall, always cheering on anyone to defeat me!" He felt tears in the corners of his eyes but he blinked them back. He couldn't let them fall. Naruto didn't cry. "This sick joke of yours isn't funny, so just don't act like you care! Don't make my life even worse! I know you want to, everyone wants to… but just don't, okay? That's all I'm asking. I don't care if you get laughs out of trying to make me believe you care, because I know better than that. No one could care for me! No one!"   
  
Why could no one care for you, Naruto? _Sasuke wondered as he sat there. _If you opened your eyes… you could see the people that are here for you, pulling you up whenever you fall down. They don't do that because they don't care… they do it because they care._   
  
The boy's voice rang in his head.   
  
----((I'm putting up dashes, because these are from several different memories and I would confuse myself, let alone you all, if I didn't.))  
  
_ "You'll laugh, just like the rest of them, saying that I should have done this years ago!" he snarled. "Saying I should have done this the moment I found out what I was – who I was. I don't care anymore. I don't care about anybody. I'm just going to go do my fucking business and then everyone else's lives will be okay again!"  
_  
----  
  
_ "If you aren't lying – if you actually do care then you would let me disappear."_  
  
----  
  
_ "I'm getting revenge whether you like it or not! And since when did you become my mother!"  
_  
----  
  
_ "Didn't your parents teach you anything before sending you to this shithole?"  
  
"That would mean that I had to have parents."  
_  
----  
  
_ "If anything happened to you… I, I, I don't know what I'd do! It hurt me that they were going to hurt you. I felt like my heart was bleeding because he was being squeezed so much!"  
  
"You did bleed."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"It's something my mother told me when I was a little kid. When you get a physical wound, the blood that spills is red. Emotional wounds are different. They bleed, but the blood that spills is black. The wound sometimes will never stop bleeding, either, and that is why black blood is feared more than red."  
  
"I bleed black."  
_  
----  
  
_ "Why do you keep thinking about it? Nothing happened!"  
  
"But what if something had! What if I hadn't gotten there in time? What if you had been raped? It would be all my fault!"  
  
"Listen to me, Naruto. It wasn't your fault!"  
  
"It was! It was! It was all because of that stupid fucking prank I pulled!"  
_  
----  
  
_ "It doesn't matter what Kyuubi's doing, he's always willing to help with my problems. He's cool like that. In return, I try to make him smile as much as I can. He's been smiling a lot lately."  
_  
----  
  
_ "I said that I'm going to tell you about my past."  
  
"Don't."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I don't want you telling me something unless you want to. Just because I told you my history doesn't mean you have to tell me yours yet."_  
  
----  
  
_ "I can do it by myself."  
  
"Shut up and let me help you."  
_  
----  
  
_ "My teachers at Sandaime told Father that I should come here. Since I am his only son, and he wanted me to shine because he no longer had Itachi, he did. You know the rest."  
  
"Gomen nasai."  
  
"Why… why are you crying?"  
  
"Because… I know the pain of not being comforted when you really need to be… because… even though I didn't have parents, I know what its like to lose something close to you… because… I care. Because… no one deserves to be alone."  
_  
----  
  
_ "Cultivate your hunger before you idealize. Motivate your anger to make them all realize. Climbing the mountain, never coming down. Break into the contents, never falling down. My knee is still shaking, like I was twelve, Sneaking out of the classroom, by the back door. A man railed at me twice though, but I didn't care. Waiting is wasting for people like me. Don't try to live so wise. Don't cry 'cause you're so right. Don't dry with fakes or fears, 'cause you will hate yourself in the end. Don't try to live so wise. Don't cry 'cause you're so right. Don't dry with fakes or fears, 'cause you will hate yourself in the end. You say, 'Dreams are dreams. I ain't gonna play the fool anymore.' You say, ''Cause I still got my soul.' Take your time, baby, your blood needs slowing down. Breach your soul to reach yourself before you gloom. Reflection of fear makes shadows of nothing, shadows of nothing."  
  
"Don't stop… it was nice…"  
  
"I-I'm sure you don't want to h-hear me trying to sing."  
  
"You have a good voice. It's comforting. Please?"  
  
"You still are blind, if you see a winding road, 'cause there's always a straight way to the point you see," he sang softly. "Don't try to live so wise. Don't cry 'cause you're so right. Don't dry with fakes or fears, 'cause you will hate yourself in the end. Don't try to live so wise. Don't cry 'cause you're so right. Don't dry with fakes or fears, 'cause you will hate yourself in the end."  
  
"That's a nice song. Whazzit called?"  
  
"Ano… ano… Wind. It's called Wind. It's by a band called Akeboshi."  
  
"I'm gonna sleep. Night."  
_  
----  
  
_ "S-Sasuke? What are you doing here?"  
  
"Isn't it obvious, dobe?"  
  
"No, or else I wouldn't be asking."  
  
"I'm here to get you. We're going home."  
_  
----  
  
Sasuke stared at his hands. They were twitching slightly, but from what, he really didn't know.   
  
"Why…" he murmured softly to the boy, knowing that the boy was still asleep, and that's why he kept his voice down. "Why didn't you just care about yourself? Why do you care about people so much? After all they do to you… how can you still smile and try to help them?"  
  
He put his head in his hands. It surprised him when someone touched one of his wrists gently. He looked up and saw Naruto looking at him with his heavenly blue eyes. Smiling softly, his eyes looked like endless pools of sorrow.   
  
"Because I love people… I love their footsteps when they walk… I love the melody of their voices…" he answered Sasuke's questions. He pulled one of Sasuke's wrists towards him slightly, letting the raven-haired boy see his hand. "I love the hands that care for me… that's why I can still smile."  
  
Naruto was still laying down. Unlike the last time Sasuke had looked after him in his bed, he didn't even try to get up. Instead, he lay there, smiling gently at the Uchiha. Sasuke just stared at him in disbelief.   
  
"Then… why did you try and kill yourself!" Sasuke snapped, seeing the bandage once again on Naruto's wrist.   
  
Naruto looked at his bandaged wrist, then Sasuke, before staring at the ceiling above him. "I don't know," he answered truthfully. "It seemed to be the right thing to do."  
  
Sasuke's fist bashed onto Naruto's head, making the boy yell out with pain.   
  
"What did you do that for!" he screamed, glaring at the Uchiha. He had sat up so that he was on eye level with the boy.  
  
Sasuke's bangs covered his eyes, but he held up his fist and the limb was trembling with anger, as though it was all that Sasuke could do to hold the fist back from throttling Naruto.   
  
"You… you…" he began, his voice soft and dangerous with rage. Snapping his head up, he looked at Naruto directly in the eye. "IDIOT!"   
  
"What do you mean 'idiot'," Naruto snapped back.   
  
"Do you even realize how worried I was for you? Your past may make you bleed black constantly, but I've been bleeding black too. And I've lost a lot of blood tonight, Naruto."  
  
Naruto was silent as what Sasuke had said sank into him. He remembered the conversation they had had when Sasuke had first brought up that expression.  
  
"I'm sorry…" Naruto said in a whisper. Sasuke heard him.   
  
Before either of them realized what happened, Sasuke's arm had snaked out and grabbed the back of the boy's head, pulling him to his chest. Wrapping his arms around Naruto, Sasuke closed his eyes.   
  
"Just don't ever do that to me again…" the Uchiha murmured. He bit his lip to hold back tears. "Don't ever make me go through tonight again… I thought you were dead…"  
  
He found that he couldn't speak anymore, but he still held Naruto tightly, not wanting to let go. Slowly, hesitantly, he felt Naruto's arm reach around his torso, hugging him back.   
  
The two stayed that way for a long time.   
  
**_Kyuubi-chan's Corner!  
  
Hi folks, its Kyuubi-chan, back with a whole new chapter for all of you. I hope you liked it. I originally wrote it differently, but I saved it to a floppy disk and while it worked perfectly on my brother's computer, its deciding to be a bitch now. The poem is called I fall… well, review. Here's the answers to chapter eleven.   
  
Kodoku no ookami: wolf of loneliness, eh? That's kind of cool. So that's what loneliness was in Japanese. I never knew…   
  
Chibichidori16: wheeee… I don't know the answers to your questions. And if I did, I wouldn't tell you, because that would be ruining the story on your part =P Hope you enjoyed this chapter.   
  
Kashi-chan: fish do stink! I'm not sure about the swimming part about not liking fish… but they don't taste good either. Yech!  
  
Toki-chan: Sorry sorry, Toki-chan… I was thinking weirdly… blame it on lack of caffeine, even though I was overdosing on caffeine that day. I WAS JUST TRYING TO BE PROPER… I think…. But then it would be Mirage-san… bah… who knows anymore. I'm just screwed up, and I'll leave it like that.  
  
Night-Owl123: Hope I didn't make you wait too long… -.-  
  
Lord Zork: I actually do have original stories. If you go to fictionpress and look up Inineen Autumnwolf, then you'll find my original stories, all there for all the people on fictionpress.   
  
Anukis-san: Who knows whether this will get better? I don't… but they do seem closer, neh? ((wink wink))  
  
ElizabethMarieRose: Yeah… instead of giving my grandmother the original, I constructed a poem just for her! I don't think it will be in this fic, but who knows… she would probably tell me to stop being mean and share her poem with the world. She was great like that, but I'm not sure yet.   
  
Dark Mimiru-chan: s'okay, I suppose Sassy is a good name… but I like Sassy-chan better. Whee… maybe I'll use that in this fic… who knows? Not I… nope… I was happy to get this chapter finished. I don't even know what I'm planning for the future.   
  
Kurisuteru-chan: sorry about making no errors. I didn't know people wanted me to make 'em… I always thought that they were taboo or something like that. Not sure if taboo is the right word. But anyway… Naruto can't die… he's the main character and I'm nowhere NEAR being done!  
  
Dearest: sorry, that was a mistake on my part. Though I kinda wanted to use that line for the overall ending, it fit there to. Don't worry, I'll put "THE END" when I'm finished. Again, sorry for the mistake. Damn typos.  
  
SquirrelofShadows: uber long enough for you? It was 8 pages!  
  
Hope you stick out with the story until the end. REVIEW! I love reading them. They make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. =D_**


	13. Murder Through Suicide

**_HAO! Yes, that's my new way of saying hello. I stole it from Lime-chan, from Saber Marionette J. I love Lime! She's so much like me… because she's so gullible and clueless. YES! I just called myself gullible and clueless, so what do you think of that folks? I'm not one of those self-conceited idiots, vain to the point that others want to puke. No, I'm the opposite. I'm the fighter chick who looks like a guy and gets mistaken for one on a daily basis. Seriously, I've had a girl hit on me, because I was wearing this really big sweatshirt and she thought I was a guy. I had to flash her to get her to understand that I'M NOT A BOY! No matter how much I sometimes wish I was. I think my dad screwed up on my genes. I was meant to be a boy, I swear! But NOOOOOO, something screwed up… and look at me now… I HAVE BOOBS! Damn things get in the way all the time. Especially during brawls. I hate brawling with perverts. They always try to grope me… so I kick their asses even more. RAWR _**

****

**_Okay, on with the fic. And I apologize to anyone I might've scared with that rant. Guess what, though, its part of living, finding out things like these! Even though I don't like my body too much, I've grown accustomed to it, so it's not awkward moving around anymore. _**

****

**I Bleed Black**

**Chapter 13**

The sun had risen above the thin line of horizon in the distance, shining through the large windows of Konoha's dormrooms. In one such dormroom sat two silent boys. One sat at his computer, furiously typing whilst the other was laying on his back, reading a book as the two spent the dawn in silence. Neither even bothered to look outside to admire the different colored clouds that were drifting above their heads.

There was a tense silence that was in the room. It had been there for at least an hour and a half. Sasuke didn't even know if he could _stand_ it anymore. And you know it's bad when _Uchiha Sasuke_ can't stand it.

Of course, that could also be because he just found out that his best friend was being chased by top-class assassins which would probably be showing up at the door any minute.

But we all doubt that's the reason.

Naruto sat hunched over his keyboard. He was writing in his livejournal, which no one checked. That he was glad about – it meant that he could write whatever the hell he wanted and nobody would tell him he's a freak or anything like that.

He still couldn't remember the events of last night that well. He was in the shower, when all of the sudden, he just felt so depressed that he could barely stand. Everything bad that had ever happened to him came rushing before his eyes. Every insult, every curse floated in his ears. He could feel the punches, kicks and slaps that he had received from so many people – but chiefly Orochimaru's gang.

Naruto had just wanted to end his existence. He felt that it would've been better for everyone if he was gone. So he had slashed his forearms.

And then Sasuke showed up.

Sometimes Naruto wondered where the cold-hearted bastard was coming from. Sasuke could be really nice sometimes, and other times he could be a complete jerk. Naruto really didn't know what went through the dark-haired boy's head. He wondered if he thought about it long enough, he would figure it out.

_I doubt that will work_, he thought to himself with a grim smile.

He heard Sasuke shift position behind him. The Uchiha had been shifting about once every hour or so. Naruto had yet to figure out why. He was in the process of figuring out what to do. Sasuke obviously wasn't going to let him go – at least, without following. Naruto really didn't want to put his friend in any type of danger.

Suddenly, Naruto heard a loud sigh behind and something hit the ground. Turning around, he saw Sasuke on the floor, not moving.

"What the hell are you doing?" the blonde yelled at the other boy.

Sasuke looked up at him, his face unreadable. "Hn," was all he said.

Naruto couldn't control his answer. He _hated _when Sasuke didn't answer him with words.

"I asked you, what the _fuck_ are you doing?" Naruto growled. He got up from his chair and walked over to the Uchiha. He was about to kick the boy, just to get something other than "Hn" out of his mouth when Sasuke finally decided to talk.

"Just needed something to break the silence."

Naruto shook his head. He sat down and noticed how Sasuke winced in pain as he began to get up. "Looks to me like you just needed something to break your fall."

The Uchiha glared at him, but didn't say anything. Instead, he hefted himself so that he was sitting, leaning against the side of the bed. He laid his head back so that it was resting on the bed.

"Naruto…?" he whispered, almost inaudibly. Naruto still heard him.

"What?" the blonde wanted to know as he stared at Sasuke.

Sasuke paused for a moment, wondering if he should continue. Deciding that it was too late to back down, he asked, "What are we doing?" He picked his head up and was staring at Naruto with his cold black eyes.

Naruto shifted uncomfortably at the gaze. "What do you mean?" he wanted to know. "We're sitting around in my and Kyubi's dormroom because some fucking assassin could be showing up to kill me at any second and the one place they wouldn't expect me to be is home."

"No… that's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

"What is this? We met only two, maybe three months ago because of a book… and then we were assigned a project to get to know each other better with… and then when we did find out about each other, we learned that our lives were in danger. What's happening? It doesn't seem real."

Naruto smiled grimly. "Believe me, teme, I know what you mean."

Sasuke just rolled his eyes at the insult. He didn't mind it right now, though he wondered why Naruto had inserted an insult into his sentences. Normally the boy only responded with insults when Sasuke started them. Sasuke couldn't help it. He loved seeing Naruto angry. He was just too damn cute when he was angry.

Wait a minute! Hold the phone!

Did _Uchiha Sasuke_ just think _Uzumaki Naruto_ was cute? Something made that seem both strange and good at the same time. Sasuke smiled, a small smile, to himself, though Naruto didn't miss it.

"What are you smiling about?" he growled.

Sasuke made his expression stoic again. "Nothing, dobe," he told the boy.

Naruto glared at him.

"Anyway, what do you want to do… its not like going to classes is really an option or anything," Sasuke wanted to know.

"Why isn't it an option?" Naruto asked.

"Because… if someone does attack, we'd have more people around us, therefore they would be in danger of getting hurt," Sasuke explained.

"Then perhaps you should leave too," Naruto whispered.

Sasuke looked at him. "I'm not leaving you to face them alone."

"Are you a fighter?" Naruto shouted, panicked. He turned his eyes, full of fear, to Sasuke. Obviously, the stress of this entire situation was beginning to get to the blonde. "Can you defend yourself against them? Can you ensure your safety?"

Sasuke cut him off after the third question. "Of course I can't ensure my safety," he told the boy calmly. "This situation is just too damn weird. I don't know what's going to happen – I don't know what I should do. All I know is that you're the first real friend I've _ever_ had and I'm not losing you to some fuckers who think they're a mafia."

Naruto couldn't help but smiling. It wasn't his mask, the one that he wore with the sadness reflected if you knew what you were looking for. His smile showed happiness, true happiness.

"Thank you," he mumbled.

"Nothing to be thanked for, dobe," Sasuke assured him. "They're all assholes if they can't see that you're not that bad." He sighed and pulled his bookbag onto his lap. He unzipped it and pulled out Naruto's sketchbook.

Naruto blushed when he saw it.

"Y-you kept that?" he asked softly.

"Yeah, dobe," Sasuke replied. "You may be dead-last and all, but you've got potential."

"_I'm not a dobe!" _Naruto shouted.

Sasuke just ruffled his blonde locks and smirked. "Sure you aren't, dobe," he told the boy.

"Get off my hair," Naruto ordered.

Sasuke let his teasing smirk show – which was different from his normal smirk, of course. "What're you going to do if I don't, dobe?" Sasuke wanted to know.

Naruto ducked his head out of Sasuke's grasp. "I'll bite you!" Naruto threatened. Sasuke chuckled at this.

"Whatever, dobe," he said and picked up the sketchbook again. Naruto, finding nothing else to do, got up and lay down on his bed, curling up and falling asleep. Sasuke went through his ritual of opening the book, and looked at the picture with the accompanying poem. For some reason, Sasuke guessed that this one was recent. He looked at the drawing.

All that the drawing showed was a knife – a pretty good double-edged dagger that was stained with blood. Blood pooled around the knife so that it made it look like the blade of the knife itself was bleeding. It was colored.

The poem, he found, was titled "Murder by Suicide." Not really understanding the title, because it was illogical, he began to read the poem that was written there.

_It all starts with_

_One tear_

_One fear_

_A couple of words_

_And bam _

_Your world comes down on your head_

_And you think the only path left is death_

_So pick up your knife_

_Kiss mom good bye_

_Slit your wrists_

_And take your life_

_Slowly bleeding_

_Slowly feeding_

_On the pain that's in your soul_

_On the pain that's in your heart_

_You have it all planned out in your head_

_Your parents walk in to find you dead_

_In a puddle of your own blood_

_Terrified, they'll call the cops_

_They'll tell your parents, horrified_

_"It was murder through suicide"_

_You have your grave already made_

_People wished you would have stayed_

_Realizing. it's horrifying_

_Murder through suicide _

_It's the only way._

Sasuke stared at the words scrawled and then back at Naruto. He wished there was more to do that he could help. Sighing, he closed his eyes and put the book down. He didn't hear Naruto get up and walk over to him.

"Doushite…" Sasuke murmured in a small voice, thinking that he was the only one awake. "Why do I feel helpless when I think of him in trouble?" He paused for a moment, eyes still closed.

Naruto was looking at him with an expression of surprise. He didn't know what was wrong with Sasuke, but he could tell that it was some inner turmoil thing. He was about to say something when Sasuke began speaking softly again.

"I do nothing for him… and he lets me stay," Sasuke confessed aloud. "I haven't helped him at…" His words trailed off as he felt hands on his cheeks. Snapping his eyes open, he found himself looking into the blue depths that he had allied himself with only a few short months before.

So much had happened, that they didn't need the entire "years to get to know each other" thing. They knew each other now. They knew each other's strengths and weaknesses, pains and happiness, hobbies and peeves. They knew almost everything about each other.

They felt like they were more than friends, and at the same time, mere strangers.

Black stared at Blue for what seemed to be an eternity. Neither blinked as the blonde stood, his hands cupping the dark-haired boy's cheeks. Something seemed to be drawing them towards each other. They're faces inched closer, as they sat mesmerized by the other's gaze.

All thoughts left the two teenagers' heads as their lips pressed softly against each other. It was a chaste kiss, not like the more passionate ones that could be seen in any rated G movie. However, this was the kiss that made everything feel right for them.

Gone were the questions flying across Sasuke's mind – why he was here? Did Naruto actually care? Etc. All that he could think about was the boy in front of him, that even after he had closed himself off from the world, had been able to worm his way into the Uchiha's heart.

The raven-haired teenager was not ready to admit his feelings, that was true, but on the other hand, he wasn't really denying them either. He just did what he thought felt right.

Reaching up, he pulled the blonde's head closer, running his tongue across the other boy's lips. A faint gasp was heard as Naruto's lips opened and Sasuke's tongue plunged inside the cavern, exploring every inch of its depths.

The Uchiha closed his eyes. He didn't need his eyes open to see who was there. It was who had – in a way, always been there.

Sasuke didn't care about the assassins that were trailing the blonde, he didn't care about his father's reaction, or anything else. All he cared about was giving the boy in front of him complete happiness, so that he didn't want to try and commit suicide again. So that he never cried, never was sad, that's what Sasuke wanted for the one his cared for the most.

Naruto.

**_Kyuubi-chan's Corner!_**

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**_Hi, minna-san, its Kyuubi-chan! And guess what? Well… I really don't know what, considering I'm just an idiot. But for those of you that wanted it, there's a little action for you. It's badly written, I know, too many descriptive words and thoughts… bah humbug, I don't care. I was going to have an accidental kiss – but their past that stage, so whatever._**

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**_The poem, Murder by Suicide, sadly, is not mine. It's my best friend's. I call her my "daughter" and she calls me her "mother" cuz I have a tendency to take care of her. So yeah, this was Rum's work. Yes, her nickname is Rum. Got a problem with that? ((Pulls out several weapons)) Good, I thought not ((puts weapons away))_**

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**_Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and don't forget to review!_**


	14. Soundlessly Singing

**_Hi everyone… here we are for chapter 14, I think… ((checks)) Yeah, its chapter fourteen. Anyways, since I'm going on a road trip until next Wednesday, I hope to write this and post it tonight. I have more than enough time, I mean, its _****_seven o'clock_****_ as I'm writing this little… introduction thingy. _**

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**_I don't bother with disclaimers after this long, I mean, come on people… if you didn't get the message the FIRST ten times, then why would I care if you get the message now. That goes for warnings, ratings, summaries, pairings, etc. _**

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**_Also, with this fic I hope to hit 200… so you'll all help, right? Now, on with the amazingly unwritten chapter as of this moment. Hopefully it'll be good. _**

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**_I wouldn't keep my hopes up though. I have a major headache. _**

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**I Bleed Black**

**Chapter Fourteen**

Sasuke was walking towards the grocery store, as Naruto's dormroom was low on supplies. Even though Naruto told him that he would pay for them, Sasuke merely waved off the blonde's offers. After all, he was the one crashing at Naruto's place, originally without the blonde's consent, so the least he could do was pay for a week's worth of food and drink to sustain both of them.

It was a sunny day, with only a few clouds that floated lazily across the skies. While he waited for a red light to turn green so that he could continue his walk, Sasuke stared up at the clouds. They always reminded him of his roommate, Nara Shikamaru, because the boy was always skipping classes just to laze on a rooftop watching the clouds. Sometimes, when he had a free period, Sasuke would join him. They wouldn't talk, but they really didn't speak to one another anyway. Both teenagers had preferred taking care of themselves. In a way, it was the perfect match-up for roommates, but Sasuke knew that he had to stay with Naruto to prevent the boy from doing something stupid again.

He smiled as he thought of Naruto. The blonde had fallen back asleep right before Sasuke left. Neither spoke of their kiss the night before, but it was always on Sasuke's mind. He didn't know what his feelings were for Naruto… he just knew that he always wanted to be there for the boy.

The light turned green and Sasuke continued his trek to the grocery store to pick up food and such to last.

------

Back at the dormroom, Naruto had feigned sleep right before Sasuke had gone out. As soon as the Uchiha had left, Naruto had gotten up. He didn't want Sasuke to be paying for the food, seeing as technically, Sasuke was his guest and not the other way around, but Sasuke wouldn't let him protest. Naruto eventually let the subject drop, knowing that arguing wouldn't get him anywhere.

He looked at the picture of Kyubi and him, when the two had just become friends. Kyubi's red hair and golden eyes were easy to spot against the black of his clothes. In fact, the solemn color seemed to bring out the strange hair and eyes even more than any other would've, thought Naruto.

He missed his friend. Kyubi had gone to protect Naruto, but the blonde wished for his friend's guidance. He was confused when it came to Sasuke. Every time he thought of the boy, he would get a funny feeling in his stomach and he could feel his chest warm up. At first, he thought of it as the feelings of a deep friendship, but now he was wondering if perhaps, it was something more.

Naruto wished that emotions weren't this confusing.

He heard a knock at the door. Standing up, Naruto thought that Sasuke must've forgotten his key.

_Stupid Sasuke_, he thought to himself as he opened the door.

Instead of Sasuke standing there, there was a middle-aged man. He had hair that came down to his shoulders and black eyes that were void of all emotions. His skin was pale, like Sasuke's was, and his clothing made it seem as though he were rich. He wore a business suit and stared down at Naruto.

Naruto stared back, blue eyes wide. Was this an assassin?

The man cleared his throat. "My name is Uchiha Tomoe. I am Sasuke's father. Nara-kun told me that he was staying here for the time being when I visited his dormroom. Where's my son?" the man said in a flat tone, maybe he even held back a low growl in his voice.

Well, that solved that question. The man wasn't an assassin… he was worse. Naruto just nodded dumbly, unable to speak for fear of saying something that would get Sasuke in trouble.

"That didn't answer my question, boy, and what's your name?" Uchiha-san said, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Naruto gulped. This man had serious talent in making people afraid of him. "Ano… Sasuke went to the store…" he mumbled softly.

"Your name, boy?" Tomoe persisted.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Tomoe's eyes widened for a moment but then narrowed so that he was glaring at the boy. "And why is my son staying with you right now?"

Naruto unwillingly stepped back away from the glare, something his body did without his mind telling him too. The man in front of him just smirked at his reaction.

"T-there are r-reasons," Naruto stammered, wishing that this was all just a bad dream and that this man really wasn't there, scaring the living shit out of him.

Something dropped at the end of the hallway. Naruto and Tomoe looked to see what was there. Sasuke stood there, the groceries at his feet and his mouth agape.

Tomoe sneered when he saw his son. Naruto didn't like the look and wished there was something that he could hide behind. However, there wasn't.

"F-father…" Sasuke murmured, his eyes widened in fear. Memories flooded back to him, even though he tried to block them out. He saw Itachi lying, the knife in his back; Tomoe walking away as though it was nothing; Tomoe not caring about the younger of the two sons, not until after Itachi had died, anyway.

"Sasuke," the older Uchiha breathed out the word in a voice that sent chills down both Sasuke's and Naruto's spines. The tone was layered with unquestionable hatred and disgust. It was almost as though Sasuke had done something against the man's wishes, and recently too. But that didn't make sense. Sasuke had been at school… so he couldn't have done something. He had been excused from his classes, with the promise that he would still hand in work. He did too, every week, he handed in what had been due that week for either classwork or homework. It wasn't that hard.

Naruto inched away from the older man's scowl and began to help Sasuke gather up the groceries. The two managed to put it all back into the bag, and both were thankful that many of the things were packaged, not fresh, so they were still good enough to eat.

"Yes, Father?" Sasuke asked softly as he approached the man. Naruto was carrying the bag of food, walking a few steps behind the dark-haired boy.

"Sasuke, we have much to discuss," the boy's father growled softly. It took mostly all of Sasuke's willpower not to run screaming in the other direction at the tone of his father's voice. It held a dangerous edge to it, something that Sasuke didn't want to face… ever. He smiled in his mind when he realized that he wouldn't be alone with his father, Naruto was there. These hopes were dashed when his father spoke up a moment later, saying, "Alone."

"Yes, Father," Sasuke said resignedly. "The conference room in on the first floor."

Tomoe nodded. "I expect you there in fifteen minutes, Sasuke," he told the boy before walking off in the direction of the room Sasuke had mentioned.

Sasuke turned to Naruto as soon as the man had disappeared into the elevator, obviously thinking that he wouldn't need the stairs if their was an elevator there.

"Naruto…" Sasuke said quickly before the other boy could say anything. "I want you to remember that my father has a really short temper. He doesn't tolerate anything. So… don't tell him anything about your past or Kyubi or Akatsuki or us while he's here, okay?"

Naruto nodded, still too shaken to speak. That man made it feel as though he had sucked all of the positive emotions out of the boy.

"I don't know how long this meeting will take, but… I hope it won't take long," Sasuke continued, seeing that the boy wasn't in any condition mentally to talk back. Sasuke sighed. He really disliked days like today. Suddenly he remembered something. "Oh yeah, and if I come back with a split lip or any type of injury, don't be too worried. If a man can _kill_ his son, hitting the other isn't all that unbelievable."

Naruto's eyes widened. He and Sasuke were really alike, he had noticed that now. Well, he knew it before, but he noticed just how much they were alike now.

"Why don't you leave him then?" Naruto asked softly, as Sasuke turned to leave.

Sasuke grinned over his shoulder. "My mother died of leukemia last year… Father's all I have left," he said.

Naruto watched at Sasuke left, heading to meet his father. Even though it was a delayed reaction, he still whispered after the boy, "Not true, you've got me now."

------

Sasuke smoothed his shirt out and ran his fingers nervously through his hair before he entered the conference room. His father was already seated in one of the chairs. Tomoe beckoned the boy closer. He waved his hand casually at the chair seated across from his own. Sasuke sat there, as he was silently directed too.

"First off, Sasuke, I want to here why you haven't been going to classes recently," the man said, his voice cold and seemed to slap Sasuke in his face. Of course his father would be told, even though he did the work, it still technically was cutting class.

Sasuke hesitated before answering. "There were some complications with my partner for a very important project and a few other people, so it was thought to be best if he didn't come to classes anymore," Sasuke lied quickly. Well, it wasn't exactly a lie – but that didn't make it truth either. It was a mixture of the two.

"And how does that affect _you_ not going to class, Sasuke?" the man's disapproval was obvious in his voice.

Sasuke gulped, though almost inaudibly. He hated these "talks" with his father. They always ended up badly, to say the least. "Since my partner had received a broken arm, and was admitted to the hospital, I was told to watch him until he got out. He just got out a few days ago and we have yet to return to classes, just so that he could get used to a normal lifestyle again," Sasuke explained in a soft voice.

Tomoe seemed to be contemplating the truth behind this. It seemed rational enough, but there was something fishy about it. "Would this boy, by any chance, be Uzumaki Naruto?" his father asked in a low voice.

Sasuke nodded.

"And do you know the truth about that boy?"

Not knowing what to do, Sasuke shook his head.

"That boy is the son of murderers and scum," his father snarled.

Sasuke winced, but couldn't help thinking, _and I'm not?_ He was happy that his father could not read minds when he realized what he had just thought.

"Uzumaki is a name that was feared for years, because of the crimes that were done against society. His parents even went so far as attacking and destroying science labs… including my own."

_Oh, so that's why he cares so much about hating Naruto._

"But, Father, Naruto hasn't done any of that stuff," Sasuke spoke, immediately regretting that he did.

Tomoe stood up, looking at the book with a malicious glower. He brought his hand back and slapped Sasuke hard across the face. Sasuke bit his lip, shutting his eyes like he always did when this happened. The attacks had gotten worse after his mother had died, when it was just Tomoe and Sasuke. For the first several months, Sasuke came to school sporting several bruises, but since he played athletic sports, he was able to make it seem as though that was what had injured him and not anything that went on at home.

------

While Sasuke was getting beat up by his father, Naruto was cooking. Or trying to. He tried to make onigiri, but failed horribly and then, after having a huge tantrum about how the world hated him and how cooks had to be the most luckiest people on earth, Naruto settled with putting cup ramen in the microwave and heating it up.

After all, he was pretty damn hungry.

He sat on the counter, eating his cup ramen (which was chicken-flavored), as he thought about Sasuke.

The boy had been in his life so much lately, Naruto didn't know if he could live without the Uchiha anymore. Of course, that seemed weird, considering he lived most of his life alone. But then Kyubi had come along, encouraging the Uchiha to come as well. So Sasuke had stayed around.

And hadn't left.

Now Naruto found himself wishing the boy would never leave. He sighed, shaking his head as he looked at the clock. It was five pm. Sasuke had been gone for at least forty-five minutes.

Naruto hoped that nothing bad was happening to his friend.

He jumped off the counter, throwing out the empty ramen cup, and walking over to his computer. Opening up a blank Microsoft Word document, he first thought about a title.

Smiling slowly, he began to type in what first came to his mind. "Soundless Singing" soon appeared on the top line of the document.

_Soft sounds from my mind_

_Creep across the floor_

_I do not need my lips to sing_

_These songs of evermore_

_I only wish that you can hear_

_What my heart wants to say_

_But can't_

_Because I am too afraid_

_Will my silence drive you mad?_

_Will you leave me crying?_

_Will you be the one who can_

_Keep my heart from dying?_

_I don't know_

_I don't know anything anymore_

_You listened to me whine_

_Even though you go through so much more_

_You helped me through all my tough times_

_While I just merely turned away_

_Am I worthy to be called your friend?_

_Am I worthy to be here with you?_

_I don't know_

_But silently, with nothing holding me back_

_I'll continue my melody_

_Hoping one day you'll here me _

_As I soundlessly sing to you _

Naruto looked at his finished work and smiled. It was one of the first times he had been able to write from his mind, and not on paper. Normally, he had a habit of writing his poetry down on paper first. It made him feel better. But this one, he liked it just the way it was… and he realized that maybe he didn't need paper if he spoke from his heart.

Closing his eyes, the blonde hoped his friend was okay.

Flashes of when Sasuke and Naruto had been together flew across his mind. He could see the day when they met, the day when they were forced to pair up, the day when Orochimaru had been beating the shit out of Naruto and Sasuke had saved him. He could see when Sasuke had saved him – both times – from killing himself. He felt a warm feeling wash through him as he saw the image of last night and heard Sasuke's words.

_ Naruto? What are we doing? What is this? We only met two, maybe three months ago because of a book… and then we were assigned a project to get to know each other better with. When we did find out about each other… we found out our lives were in danger. What's happening? It doesn't seem real._

_ Why? Why do I feel helpless when I look at him in trouble? I do nothing for him and he lets me stay. I haven't helped him at…_

"Not true," Naruto whispered to the empty room. "You've kept me alive… you've listened to me when I felt down… you've been more to me than I could ever imagine. It's me… it's me who hasn't been fair to you."

------

Sasuke looked through a swollen eye at his father. The man seemed to be in a worse mood than normal, and Sasuke could only guess at why. When Tomoe had heard that Sasuke was going to continue rooming with Naruto, he began beating the boy mercilessly.

**Flashback**

_After Tomoe had slapped him, Sasuke took a full minute to adjust to the stinging pain in his cheek before putting back on his mask of no emotion and staring at his father. _

_ "You will go back to your dorm with Nara-kun and you will stay away from this Naruto boy, do I make myself clear?" Tomoe growled, looming over Sasuke. _

_ "No," Sasuke whispered. He was surprised at his own courage, but he didn't want to leave his best friend. He didn't have anything against Shikamaru, but Naruto needed him now. Sasuke needed Naruto, as well. He couldn't return… not yet, maybe not ever. He loved Naruto. The realization dawned on him, making him feel strength that he had never known. _

_ Uchiha Sasuke loved Uzumaki Naruto. _

_ "What did you say?" Tomoe yelled angrily, his glaring eyes fixed on Sasuke. _

_ "I'm staying with Naruto," Sasuke said clearly. _

_ Not answering, Tomoe grabbed the boy's collar and threw him against a wall. Sasuke felt the breath leave him as his back slammed into the wall of the conference room. Dully, he wondered if the room was soundproof. If it wasn't, he might actually have a chance at someone wondering what all the banging was and come in. _

_ He felt his father's fist slam into his eye, knocking his head back into the wall. Shaking off the dazed feeling, he barely had time to recover his bearings before Tomoe's knee hit him in the stomach. Gasping for breath, for it felt like there was none left in his body, Sasuke did what he had always deemed the unthinkable. _

_ He grabbed onto Tomoe's arm and dug his nails into it. Surprised, the older Uchiha dropped him. Sasuke landed on his hands and knees. He was gasping in air, trying to restore oxygen to his systems. _

_ Suddenly, a foot connected with his back. Sasuke immediately curled up, just like he always did and tried to protect himself. Sure, he could talk big when around Naruto or someone else and tell them to hit back at whoever was beating them up, but when it came to him and his father, he could only curl up in fear. _

_ As a vision of Naruto flashed across his brain, Sasuke let out a hollow chuckle. If only Naruto could see me now, he thought to himself as he stared up at his father. _

_ "Are you laughing at me now, boy?" Tomoe screamed before Sasuke felt a fist connect with his head. _

**End Flashback**

Sasuke stared at his father as well as he could. He had a cut over his eye as well as a black eye, so there was a small sight problem. He could tell his father was finished with him for the moment, as the man was straightening his suit and everything. Tomoe slicked back his hair and left the conference room. As soon as he did, Sasuke struggled to pull himself to his feet.

His hopes had been in vain. Despite the constant banging noises, no one had come. It wasn't like he expected them to actually do anything. When dealing with rich families like the Uchihas, many thought that it was smarter to just turn a blind eye to things like this.

Sasuke clutched his stomach with one hand as he used the other to guide him along the walls and steady him. He left the conference room with a little difficulty. Slowly, he dragged himself to the stairs, not caring to wait out in the open for the elevator and pulled himself up to the second floor.

Feeling even more lightheaded with each passing step, Sasuke didn't know how he made it to the dormroom. He knocked on the door, not bothering to look for his keys. He knew Naruto would be here. The boy really had nothing better to do.

Naruto opened the door and Sasuke fell forward, his head on Naruto's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled softly.

"What did that bastard do to you, Sasuke?" Naruto cried when he saw his friend's appearance.

"Nothing that won't heal soon," Sasuke assured him. "Got any ice?"

Naruto nodded as he half-led, half-carried Sasuke to Kyubi's bed. As soon as he lay the boy down, Sasuke smiled.

"It feels good to get off my feet," the boy tried to lighten the mood. "It feels like I've been walking forever."

Naruto soon left and came back with ice wrapped in a towel. He didn't trust paper towels for ice, so he used a real one. He put the ice on Sasuke's black eye and then checked for other injuries. Because of his own run-ins with Orochimaru and anyone else who had bothered to bully him, Naruto was really good at helping out with people who had been beat up. He knew the areas that were normally hit – the face, the abdomen, and the neck – and so he checked those first.

He noticed that it wasn't anything more than bruising and sighed with relief. Naruto pulled over the roll-y chair that he loved so much and sat by Sasuke.

"Sasuke… tell me what happened, please," Naruto pleaded.

Sasuke gave him a small smile. "He wanted me to never see you again," Sasuke answered. "I told him that I liked being around you… so I wasn't going to leave. He got angry… and this is the result." He paused for a moment before looking at Naruto. "Don't worry, this isn't that bad. One time he broke my leg by throwing me out the second floor window. That was when I was ten. Damn, I thought I was going to die…"

Naruto held his friend's hand as he sat there. "Go to sleep, Sasuke," he murmured. When he saw Sasuke was about to say something, Naruto continued speaking. "Don't worry, I won't do anything stupid. In fact, I won't move from this spot until you wake up, okay?" He paused for a moment, as though thinking about what he was going to say next.

Sasuke could feel himself losing consciousness as sleep took over, but he heard Naruto's last words before blackness took over.

"You watched over me, this time… I'll watch over you," Naruto told him.

**_Kyuubi-chan's Corner!_**

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**_Gah… I actually don't like this chapter. At all… it seems… fucked up… well, it is, but it just seems kinda unreal. I mean, I never indicated before that Sasuke's father was a person who abused his kids, because – quite frankly – I never thought of it before, but I needed more angst… _**

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**_Just so you know, I am, in NO way, a supporter of child abuse, even though my writings may make it seem different. Its just… I know people who've gone through it, and it makes me want to show the world that no matter what it looks like on the outside, the inside of a family can be so much worse. I suppose that's the reason. Don't ask me about why I feel that way… I just do… -.-" I'm pathetic, I know, and yeah… _**

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**_Well, I got lots of reviews commenting on the kiss in the last chapter. I'm glad you all liked it. I was kinda worried that people wouldn't like all of the thoughts that I had in there, but no one commented on it, so I'm not sure if that's good or bad. I'll take is as good, though, so… yeah… _**

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**_Next chapter, we're probably gonna get a letter from Kyubi again. Anyone have any ideas on what to use as his pseudonym? Come on, I need help here! I'm blonde… and I'm a dumb blonde… most of the time, so I don't know what Kyubi should have as his fake name. And before you say it… Nine-Tailed Demon Fox will NOT be used, that's just TOO obvious. I want something whimsical… but I can't think of anything. _**

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**_Ja, I'll be back next Wednesday or Thursday and hopefully with an update… I don't know though, might not get any time. _**


	15. A Letter from Kyubi

**_Hao, minna-san! How's it going with all of you? I'm actually doing pretty good. I'm driving, which means that I can get my license soon. I finally decided to work towards the license instead of waiting around being an annoying brat, like I normally am. _**

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**_Yes, I AM AN ANNOYING BRAT!_**

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**_And I'm damn proud of it. So, yeah, anyways, thank you everyone SO MUCH for the reviews. You're actually getting me off my lazy Shikamaru-ass to do this bothersome Chapter. _**

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**_And guess what? We'll hear from Kyubi in this chapter. ((snuggles with Kyubi and glares at all the people looking at her funny)) HE'S MINE! HANDS OFF! NO TOUCHIES!_**

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**_Mwa!_**

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**_On with the story…_**

**I Bleed Black**

**Chapter 15**

True to his word, Naruto watched Sasuke the entire night. He was wondering what he was going to do when all of the sudden, there was a knock on his door. It was about eight-thirty in the morning and Sasuke still hadn't woken up. Naruto hoped the boy didn't have a concussion, because he didn't know how they would treat it. Casting a glance at the pale Uchiha, Naruto hefted himself to his feet. The knocking had become more persistant.

"I'm coming. I'm coming!" he yelled to whoever was at the door. Surprisingly, the normally light sleeper didn't wake up. That worried the blonde, but he had no time to think of it. Instead, he answered his door.

In front of the door was a kid that he didn't know. "Huh?" he asked.

The boy in front of him just grinned. "This got sent to me by accident, but I think that it's for you," he said. "Tell Vulpes-san not to spell 'Uzumaki' with an 'o' after the 'z' because that would be my name, not yours. I think this is yours, because it says 'Naruto'. That kind of tipped me off."

"Oh," Naruto grunted as he took the letter. Uzomaki smiled at him. Naruto grinned back. "Thanks for dropping it off here."

"No problem, I'm only six doors down, so it wasn't too much trouble."

Naruto nodded and Uzomaki left. Closing the door, Naruto turned back to Sasuke. The boy was sleeping soundly beneath the covers that Naruto had put over him the night before. He wondered if they should see Tsunade, but Sasuke would probably say he didn't want questions asked.

Even though Tsunade never asked Uzumaki any questions. Was she giving him special treatment or something? Naruto shrugged and then turned his mind back to the envelope in his hand.

The person who had sent it to him was one "Vulpes, Red" ((Kyuubi-chan note: Red is the first name.)) Not knowing who the hell this person was, Naruto grabbed himself a cup of orange juice before sitting at the table in the kitchen part of the dorm. He opened the envelope and unfolded the letter inside.

_To my roommate – Naru-chan_

_Hey, what's up? I'm doing pretty well. I'll give you my address, but I'm only going to be here for a short time. I plan on writing you a lot, and I'll stay at some places so that I can hear about you. First question – how are you? You didn't have to go back to the hospital did you? If you're wondering how I know that you're not at your dorm is because I spied on you for a short time before I left __Konoha__Academy__. It's not safe for me to be there anymore. However, it is the safest place for you to be. I'm not making anything up. The teachers at Konoha will not let anything happen to you, but only if you find a few that you can trust and tell what's been happening to you. I wish I didn't have to leave, then I would be able to protect you and I wouldn't have to tell you to go to a teacher, but we both know that I can't be there for you. I wouldn't be able to disobey Akatsuki. They're just too dangerous, too bloodthirsty and I don't want to die. I don't want to kill anyone either. Hopefully, by running from place to place, they won't be able to find me, but I won't be able to stay anywhere long. But this is the life I chose. I'd rather be close to no one at this point because anyone I get close to will probably be targeted by Akatsuki. They will probably hunt me down if I don't report back in six months, as I'm supposed to. Every six months, I must report. The last time I reported to Akatsuki was only a few days ago. That's how I knew that they were after you. _

_Before I forget, I found out at the last meeting that I wasn't the only Akatsuki member at Konoha, and I'm not talking about you. Orochimaru and his gang follow Akatsuki orders. Don't go near them! Don't let yourself be alone with them! If you see one of them coming towards you, turn tail and run for your life. I know that you can fight because, hell, I taught you a lot of it. But I don't want you hurt. You learned last time that by going up against Orochimaru could put Sasuke into danger. I don't think that you want that to happen, right? _

_The teacher I recommend you to go to is Jiraiya-sensei. He's trustworthy, strong, and has contacts. He'll be able to do the job that I cannot. You, yourself, said once that you would trust him with your life because he was nice to you. Now's that time – you need to trust him with everything you hold, everything you know. Hell, if he asks, I don't care if you tell him about me. I just want you to be safe, understand that. Also, don't forget to mention to Jiraiya, if you do go see him, that someone needs to watch out for Sasuke. I overheard a long time ago, though I never really thought it of importance until recently, that Orochimaru wants Sasuke – for his body. I don't know what he would do, but you already saw what he almost had done a month or so ago. Don't let that happen again. You can't protect Sasuke on your own, and I know that you're thinking that you can, but it's too hard. You'll have assassins after you, as well as Orochimaru and his gang, and it's just impossible to be able to deal with everything. Also, remember, that you have to keep your grades up because if you don't, you'll be kicked out of Konoha – then Sasuke and you would be separated and both of you would be harmed. Don't look at my words like that, I'm just telling you this because I want to protect you, not because I believe that you're weak. Just… go find a teacher to talk to… and then maybe, everything will be all right. I'll write again as soon as I can._

_Red_

_P.S. When you send a letter to me, use a fake name, because I don't want Akatsuki or anyone else to know that you are writing me. It could lead to trouble later. My address until next Thursday is on the back of this paper, all right?_

Naruto stared at the words that were written down. He turned over the paper and saw the address. Quickly, he copied it down on an envelope that he managed to find and grabbed a few sheets of paper. He didn't hear Sasuke stir in the bed. His mind was too full of what Kyubi had been telling him. The redhead actually _wanted_ Naruto to go to a teacher and tell them that he was the offspring of two members of the most feared mafia in the country and Kyubi was a member of the mafia that was trying to escape.

His head hurt, on top of the lack of sleep that he had gotten as he was watching over his best friend. "Why…?" he asked softly, hearing his voice echo in his mind.

"Why what?" Sasuke asked. The boy had risen from the bed and walked over to the table. He stared at Naruto with eyes that were emotionless, but Naruto had become expert at reading between the lines of his eyes, what they were actually telling him and what they were telling the world were two different things. He was concerned. He was concerned for Naruto.

The blonde still wasn't used to the idea of actually having someone he cared about more than life itself, and who cared for him as well. He stared at the other boy, mouth slightly agape as he pondered whether or not he should tell Sasuke all that Kyubi had said.

"Kyubi sent a letter," was all that came out of his throat. His voice sounded raspy, as though he were about to sob. According to Kyubi… neither of them were safe. Add that to Sasuke's father haunting them (as Naruto liked to say) and Naruto wasn't sure that they would be able to escape the situation.

"Can I see the letter?" Sasuke wanted to know. Naruto nodded as he pushed the pieces of paper towards Sasuke, eyes clouded over with so many thoughts and emotions that no one feeling stayed for very long. His heavenly blue eyes showed pandemonium and nothing more.

Sasuke picked up the letter that had been shoved towards him. He quickly read through it, eyes scanning back and forth at top speed. His mouth was a thin line and Naruto was sure that he was biting the inside of his cheek. His eyes widened slightly, and that was all the emotion that he showed. He was tense, that much was obvious.

_Then again_, Naruto thought, _who wouldn't be after hearing that some asshole was after your body?_

Sasuke put the paper down, his face not showing anything that was in his head. Naruto looked up at him from where he had rested his arms on the table and put his forehead on them.

"Fuck," Sasuke breathed out, breaking the tense silence that was in the room. Naruto nodded. That word basically explained everything. They were screwed because even if they _went_ to Jiraiya, who was to say that he wouldn't turn them down? After all, the old pervert only helped young women, not young boys.

Naruto sighed. Banging his head on his arms slightly, feeling small ripples of pain travel up his arms. His head was okay – he had a hard enough head to survive a nuclear bomb, but he still hissed a little at the pain in his arms. It wasn't much, it was just uncomfortable. That hiss seemed to bring both boys back to reality.

"So… when do you want to see Jiraiya?" Sasuke asked softly, keeping his voice devoid of any emotion.

Naruto looked away, clenching his teeth and fists together. "I'm not going to see him," he replied in a quiet voice. "I don't want to see him!"

Sasuke glared at him, finally letting at least one emotion show through his face. "Are you fucking insane?" he snarled. "You read what Kyubi-sama wrote! You know what he's had to go through… hell, you know better than me! He wouldn't do anything that would harm you – that's why he's not here. He sacrificed himself so that you would stay safe, but now you're just going to be a pathetic baby about it, aren't you?" Sasuke didn't want to sound so harsh, or as mean as he did, but he couldn't help it. Not with the amount of anger that was coursing through his veins, at least.

Naruto stared at Sasuke, surprise and confusion showing on his face. The look on his face soon changed to one of anger. "No, I'm _not_ fucking insane, it's _you_ who is!" he shouted. "You're the one who wants to go and put more people's lives in danger by telling Jiraiya! He'd want us under his nose every fucking minute of the goddamn day! _He's not strong enough to go up against Akatsuki!_"

"Then who is, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, staring coldly at the blonde. "Who is strong enough to go up against that damn mafia?"

Naruto's face fell. "I don't know…" he admitted. "No one, I guess."

"That's where you're wrong," growled the other boy.

The blonde looked up, shock running through his cerulean eyes. "What do you mean?" he wanted to know. He wouldn't allow himself to hope, he wouldn't allow himself to believe – not until he heard that someone could defeat that group. He wanted to know who it was.

"Us," Sasuke told him with an icy smile.

"Us?" Naruto repeated incredulously.

"Yes, we're thirteen right now, right?" Sasuke asked. "Well, this school offers martial arts as an extracurricular activity."

"Okay…" Naruto said, not really understanding what the other boy was getting at.

"So let's train. Let's learn anything and everything we can – and while we do it, we'll be able to pick up allies to help us in our fight."

Naruto stared at him. "You _are_ fucking insane!" Naruto said in awe. "You're telling me that we're going to grab a bunch of _teenagers_ and go up against the most powerful criminal organization on Earth?"

Sasuke merely smiled at him, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. His eyes were cold, almost heartless as his smirk stared at Naruto maliciously. Naruto's eyes widened as he heard Sasuke speak again.

"Exactly."

**_Kyuubi-chan's Corner!_**

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**_How'd ya like that chapter, folks? Heh, I know its short, but whatever. I wanted to make an actual plotline, y'know? Something that might actually work. And where did Sasuke get so optimistic? I don't know… don't care either, all I know is that the next few chapters will have super-speed timing and then WHOOSH… FUNFUN! I don't know who I'm going to include in the training and all. Anyone you particularly want to see? I'll gladly include them in. _**

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**_Now here's my review replies to CHAPTER FOURTEEN ONLY. I'm too lazy to do anymore than that. Wheee… I am Shikamaru-cloned! MWA HAA HAA! Or not… damn… this is bothersome…_**

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**_Kutsu – I'm glad you thought the ending was really cute. I loved writing that moment. _**

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**_ManicReversed – Thanks for wishing Monkeypox Mafia luck… Kami-sama knows we need it. We're still trying to get a drummer. And we need a drummer, because of one of our songs… it's great. Anyways, I'm glad you like the poems and songs. I didn't know if some people would like 'em or not. I love your name, btw. It sounds cool. _**

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**_AnonymousKitsune – well, that's an unusual name, I must say, but its cute. =D you get a big fox grin! Glad you like my fic!_**

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**_Crystal_****_ the Demon-Touched – Thanks for giving an idea for Kyubi's pseudonym. I don't know if showing the world what really happens behind the smiles of a family is good, or whether people will believe me, but I feel that I owe it to my friends, because even with their problems, they've helped me through so much. _**

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**_Renn – it was sweet, wasn't it?_**

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**_Anukis-san – hmm, send me lyrics for Digital _****_Bath_****_, please! I wanna know what you mean. My email is wildmaera713 yeah, so just send me them, maybe I'll use them in my next fic… once I get around to having a next fic. It won't be too long… and first I have to finish this fic… whee… I don't know what's gonna happen, or how long its gonna be… so… I STILL WANT THE LYRICS THOUGH!_**

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**_KageKitsune16 – thanks for saving Sasuke, I hope I can too. I don't know how I'm going to do it though, but I'm going to try and make it as realistic as possible. I'm glad you reviewed, I'm glad you like my story. Whee…_**

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**_Dark Mimiru-chan – I'm not pathetic? Are you entirely sure about that? Sometimes when I write, I feel that everyone is going to jeer at me because of my words, whether they are fact or fiction. I'm not that confident, so… I call myself pathetic… even if it may not be true, I'm glad you believe differently. It made me happy when I read your review. _**

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**_Ookima – yeah, Kitsune is too obvious. Besides, the boy character's name is Kitsune Kyubi, so that wouldn't really be a pseudonym, would it. Thanks for suggesting Red though, it's what I used. I combined the two names I got to make his name. Whee… I don't think Naru-chan had a Kyubi-only name… ((thinks)) don't know, thinking hurts my brain anyway. _**

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**_To ALL the Reviewers, even though I just answered every last reviewer for chapter fourteen… guess what…?_**

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**_((GLOMPS!!!!))_**

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**_ARIGATO-GOZIMASU!! Your reviews make me feel like I'm doing something that people enjoy, instead of nothing or something that people will scorn. I'm not a confident writer because… well… I'm not. I don't know the reason. Even though my writing is what I want to do with the rest of my life, I'm still gonna hide behind a penname. It's just the way I do things. But all of you make me happy. Everytime I see a new reviewer, I feel like I could fly. I love reading all of your reviews, so thanks! _**


	16. I Bleed Black

**_Well, here's chapter sixteen… whoosh, this story has really left the path that I was trying to direct it down. I guess that means that it's just writing itself form here on out. And I'm going to use a poem in this chapter that I had planned to use in the last chapter of this fic, but that obviously didn't work since the last chapter is going to be different from what I originally thought. This poem was written especially for this fic, and the name of the poem is "I Bleed Black"_**

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**I Bleed Black**

**Chapter Sixteen**

After hours of arguing, fighting, silence and growling at each other, Sasuke had finally managed to drag Naruto with him, heading towards Jiraiya's office. Jiraiya, Sasuke noted in his head as he latched his hand onto Naruto's wrist, was also the teacher of martial arts here at Konoha Academy. Hell, that would make things a lot easier on his account.

Naruto, luckily, had agreed to the plan about gathering allies and, in the meantime, training. Locating Jiraiya-sensei's office had been hard, but they had finally found it. Standing in front of it, both boys hesitated for a moment. Sasuke could feel his grip tighten on Naruto's wrist. They had the letter with them, just to show Jiraiya that they weren't lying about anything.

Slowly, Sasuke reached up at the door and knocked. It was a surprise to actually find Jiraiya in his office, as he answered the door a moment later. Normally, he was off peeping into the girls' locker rooms. But here the old man was, dressed in a strange sort of robe covered by a sleeveless red coat that reached to the hem of the robe. His long white hair was in a ponytail and he had weird red lines beneath his eyes, going down to his chin. The boys in front of him could only guess at where they had come form.

"What do you want, boys?" Jiraiya asked.

Sasuke and Naruto exchanged a glance. "We need to speak with you," Sasuke volunteered, as it was obvious that Naruto didn't want to say anything right now. "In private."

Jiraiya gave them a scrutinizing glance before stepping aside and letting them in. The two teenagers walked in and Jiraiya shut the door behind them. There was a cluttered desk in the room with two chairs in front of it. Jiraiya took the seat on the other side of the desk and motioned Sasuke and Naruto to sit in the chairs. They obeyed.

"Now, what is this about?" Jiraiya asked. He had a feeling that what he was about to learn would be important, and that was the only reason why he was being so serious, which was completely unlike him.

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged another glance. Where would they begin? Everything whirled around and around in their heads. Naruto bit his bottom lip while Sasuke pursed his lips into a thin line. Suddenly, Naruto jumped to his feet, slamming both of his hands onto Jiraiya's desk.

"Let's just get to the fucking chase," he growled softly, begrudgingly. Oh, yes, Sasuke was going to get killed later on. Yep. That was what he had come up with before he continued. "I'm an orphan – because my parents were or are, I don't know, part of a mafia group called Akatsuki. They abandoned me when I was a baby for God-only-knows what reasons."

Sasuke watched the martial arts instructor for his reaction. Jiraiya did not show any signs of surprise, so Sasuke concluded in his head that Jiraiya must've known that about the boy beforehand, or else the guy was a really, really good actor. The latter, Sasuke knew wasn't true.

Naruto clenched his fists as he let them hang uselessly at his sides. His head was bowed, the bangs obscuring the view to his gaze. Not that it would matter, as Naruto had his eyes closed anyway.

"The first one came when I was four years old," Naruto's voice was dead as he spoke again. He paused, before reaching up to the jacket he wore. He unzipped the high collar down and pointed to a scar on his chest. "I don't even know how I survived that." He zipped up his jacket. Jiraiya had a faint look of surprise in his eyes, but he was good at masking his emotions, even more so than Sasuke. Naruto spoke as though he didn't notice that there was anyone else in the room.

"I get about one a year… following me, attacking me… since then," he admitted. "Until I came to Konoha, my life was more or less rough-and-tumble…"

Jiraiya cleared his throat to get the blonde's attention. Naruto's head snapped up and he immediately closed his mouth, as though horrified that he had spoken that much already.

"The first what?" the white-haired man asked slowly. "What's after you, Naruto?"

Naruto was chewing on the inside of his cheek. Sasuke wisely chose to keep quiet, as this was Naruto's life and therefore Naruto would be the one to tell it. The boy mumbled something incoherent. Sasuke looked at him, as did Jiraiya, in confusion, for they didn't catch what he had said.

"Speak louder, boy," Jiraiya ordered.

"Assassins," was the word that escaped the blonde's throat in a strained whisper.

Jiraiya's eyes widened. The boy in front of him was just that: a boy – barely thirteen years old, he guessed. "Assassins…?" he asked softly, though Naruto and Sasuke were unsure whether he was asking them or himself.

Slowly, they nodded anyway. Jiraiya folded his fingers and rested his chin on them, much like Sasuke did during class. His eyes were sharp, betraying nothing of what went on in his head.

"Naruto," he said softly. Naruto flinched at his name being said. This was it. This was the point where Jiraiya would call him insane, and then not help them in the least. He shut his eyes, not wanting to see the angry look or the disgusted look that was sure to come across the teacher's face.

He heard the scraping of Jiraiya's chair on the floor. Every second seemed to be an eternity. The footsteps of the man were coming closer. Suddenly, instead of the hit he was expecting, Naruto felt two arms encircle him, pulling him into a warm embrace.

"Naruto," the name of the blonde was said in a kinder voice as Jiraiya released him from the hug. Naruto opened his eyes, and found the man kneeling in front of him so that they were eye level. "From now on, you will be under my supervision. If you need anything, just ask me… I'll do the best I can to help you."

Naruto nodded dumbly, scarcely believing what he was hearing. "R-really?" he stammered out, feeling his knees go weak with relief.

Jiraiya nodded. He helped the blonde into a chair before taking his own again. "All right, brats," he said in an affectionate manner, instead of an insulting one. "You're dismissed, unless there's anything else you want to talk to me about." His face broke out into one of his joking grins.

"Actually, there is one other thing that we need to talk to you about," Sasuke said. "Well, two other things."

"Eh?" Jiraiya asked. In his mind, he hoped that Naruto's situation was the only thing that was plaguing these two, but now that he got a look at them, he noticed that it wasn't.

Sasuke stared at him. "Perhaps it would be better if you were to read this," the boy said, pulling out the letter that Naruto had received the day before from Kyubi. He handed the papers over to Jiraiya, who took them with a solemn look on his face once more.

The man was a fast reader, and he finished the writing in seconds. "I see," he murmured. He stared at Sasuke. "You wish to be under my protection too, is that right?"

Feeling a blush of shame coming up on his cheeks, Sasuke nodded.

"No problem," Jiraiya told him. "Now, what's the last thing?"

Sasuke was the one that spoke again, as Naruto seemed to have done his share of speaking for the moment. "We need training," he stated.

"Training?" Jiraiya asked, a little confused.

"You are the teacher for the martial arts dojo that's located at this school, correct?" the boy asked bluntly.

Jiraiya looked at him with a slight frown on his face. "Yes…"

"We wish to learn as many forms of martial arts that we can," Sasuke responded. "Is there any way for us to join your classes this late in the year?"

Jiraiya looked thoughtful. "I do have five empty slots in one of my classes, that would make seventeen students in all," he muttered to himself. Speaking louder, he turned to the two of them. "Sure, why not? It's from four to eight PM everyday except for Sundays. On Saturdays, we do a full day of training starting from six in the morning to seven at night. Lunch is supplied. I'll add you to my roster, just report at the dojo tomorrow on time."

"Thanks!" Sasuke and Naruto both stated before leaving the office. Jiraiya waved after them even after the door was closed. Sighing after a moment, he stood up and walked over to the window of his office.

Just what were those two planning?

The next day, at four in the afternoon, Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto stepped into the main room of the dojo. Several other people where already there, stretching and preparing for the four-hour class. Barely anyone paid any attention to them, however, as they stood, seemingly lost in the doorway. Suddenly, a pink-haired girl that both of them knew ran over to them.

"Sasuke-kun!" she said and grabbed his arm, hugging it to her. "I didn't know you took this class… but then… why weren't you here for the past three months?" Her startling green eyes stared up at him with a confused expression in their depths.

Naruto looked over at the girl. "Konnichiwa, Sakura-chan!" Naruto grinned. "We just kinda… signed up yesterday…"

"Well, that's okay, we haven't really been doing much, so you aren't that far behind," Sakura said. "There are four teachers: Jiraiya-sensei, Kurenai-sensei, Azuma-sensei and Gai-sensei." She paused. "Oh yeah, they each teach a different type of martial arts. So its fun when you sign up for all four of them. Well… all four of them teach all of us anyway."

After that, both Sasuke and Naruto turned the girl's babbles out. Neither cared as they looked around the room, surveying the people that were scattered about it. Mostly everyone in here they had in a different class.

Suddenly, four adults walked into the room. One was easily recognizable as Jiraiya. With him was a dark-tanned brown-haired, and bearded man with a cigarette in his mouth. He had a blue bandana around his head and smiled at the class. The other male was taller than the brown-haired man. He was dressed in what looked like green spandex with a broad face that was grinning and a hideous bowl haircut for his black hair. The only female in the group was shorter than the rest of them. She had burning red eyes and a thick mane of black hair that fell partway down her back, curling slightly. She was wearing a red shirt and black pants as she stared around at the class.

"All right," Jiraiya said. "Kurenai will take roll today and then we'll split you up into four groups so that each of us will train you for an hour before switching teachers, understand?"

There was a bunch of nods as all of the teenagers in the room formed a straight, horizontal line. Sasuke and Naruto joined the end of this.

Kurenai, the female teacher, had a clipboard and pencil in her hand. "Aburame Shino?"

Said boy raised his hand.

"Akimichi Chouji?"

"Here."

"Haruno Sakura?"

"Over here, Sensei!"

"Hyuuga Hinata?"

"H-h-here."

"Hyuuga Neji?"

"Present."

"Inuzuka Kiba?"

"Sup, Kurenai-sensei!"

"Juu Tenten." **_(3)_**

"I'm here."

"Momochi Haku." **_(1)_**

"Good afternoon, sensei."

"Momochi Zabuza."

"Let's just get this over with."

"Nara Shikamaru."

"This is so bothersome…"

"Rock Lee."

"Today is the day that I prove myself to be even stronger!" A moment later, the green-clad teen struck his "nice guy" pose. Barely anyone paid attention to it, except for Naruto and Sasuke, who looked at him as though he were crazy.

"Sabuka Gaara?" **_(2)_**

"Hn."

"Sabuka Kankorou." **_(2)_**

"Heh, I'm here all right."

"Sabuka Temari." **_(2)_**

"Here and ready, Sensei."

"Uchiha Sasuke?"

Sasuke stared at her. He could hear the murmurs coming from the other people at the strange name for this class. He could also hear a few squeals. Couldn't he just kill his fanclub?

"Hn," was his response.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"Yo!"

"Yamanaka Ino."

"I'm here."

Kurenai put the clipboard on a table that was nearby. "All right," Kurenai said, staring at the students before her. "We're going to split into four groups of four, since there are sixteen of you. You'll be matched, based on what we say. For Jiraiya for the first hour: Sasuke, Naruto, Gaara and Neji. For Gai for the first hour: Lee, Sakura, Haku and Hinata. For Azuma for the first hour: Kiba, Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji. Coming with me for the first hour, will be Shino, Zabuza, Kankarou and Temari." She paused. "Now go to your assigned teacher."

The teenagers all went to their assigned teachers. Sasuke and Naruto were both glad that they didn't have to try and guess their teacher, as they already knew who Jiraiya was.

"Hello, my dear brats," Jiraiya greeted the four of them. Somehow or another, the white-haired teacher had been stuck with the stoic boys, as they all glared at him.

It was Neji who broke the tense silence that was building up. "Are you going to teach us anything or not?"

Jiraiya laughed good-naturedly. "Of course I am, you brats."

He didn't exactly get a response from his students. Neji glared, Sasuke smirked, Gaara stared and Naruto looked bored. Jiraiya growled something and then told them all to follow him.

"All right, I want to see you spar. Gaara, Neji, you two fight over there, I'll watch you," Jiraiya said. He turned to Sasuke and Naruto. "Watch them, and then you two will spar."

The two nodded and walked across the large lawn behind the dojo. The got into the ready stances and waited for an unknown signal. In the distance, a car alarm went off. The two rushed at each other, eyes set on their opponents.

Neji, whose speed was slightly greater than Gaara's, made the first move. He punched at the redhead, but his fist was intercepted by Gaara's arm, blocking it from hitting his torso. Gaara swiftly counterattacked with a kick. This continued for about fifteen minutes, as Neji and Gaara danced around each other, exchanging blocks, kicks, punches, dodges and the like.

Naruto and Sasuke watched the dance with wonder, completely unprepared for the sight of this. Gaara and Neji both looked graceful as they avoided fatal blows to their weak points and were still able to attack even if they were hit.

After those fifteen minutes, however, Jiraiya called for them to stop. Even though Neji's fist was in the process of being thrown at Gaara's face, he stopped it, mere inches from the redhead's exposed skin. The two turned and bowed to each other.

"That's the first lesson of any martial arts," Jiraiya lectured Naruto and Sasuke. "Discipline. Without it, you're not going to improve in the least. Now, do either of you have any type of training in combat?"

"I have some, I suppose," Naruto explained.

"I took two years of karate when I was a kid," Sasuke admitted.

"All right, so both of you know the basics of fighting, right?" Jiraiya asked, glad of this. He hated teaching basics. Both teenagers nodded. "Then take your positions."

They nodded again as they moved to the spots that Neji and Gaara had been in, staring at each other. Slowly, Naruto crouched down, hands unclenched, one near his heart and the other in front of him. His feet were about shoulder-length apart. He had learned this stance from Kyubi last year.

Sasuke got into a similar position, but instead of his right hand being near his heart, it was fisted near his chin and his other hand was clenched as well. Both opponents stared at each other, unconsciously waiting for whatever was supposed signal them.

Noticing this, Jiraiya pulled a pencil out of his pocket and snapped it. The noise from the breaking writing utensil echoed through the clearing's silence. Naruto rushed at Sasuke first, as he was the more impatient of the two. He noticed that Sasuke was shifting his weight, about to throw a punch and he ducked to the left to avoid it.

The punch was only a feint. He realized this a moment later when Sasuke's foot came out, ready to strike at his exposed face. Only quick reflexes, perfected by years on the street, saved the blonde from a broken nose. He flipped backwards in a back handspring, landing in his ready stance again. Sasuke smirked.

"Is that all you can do, dobe?" he asked snidely, in a low voice so that only Naruto was able to hear him.

"You haven't seen anything yet, Sassy-chan," Naruto growled out as a response as he leapt at Sasuke, his foot flying through the air, towards the other boy's face. Sasuke raised his guard and blocked the kick, though he winced a little as he felt a soft sting float up his arms. Landing on his feet, Naruto rushed in again, hoping to catch the normally stoic boy offguard.

His luck wasn't with him. The Uchiha grabbed Naruto's arm that he had tried to punch with and flipped the boy over his shoulder. Naruto landed on his back in the grass, but rolled out of the way of an attack by his friend.

On the sidelines, Jiraiya, Neji and Gaara watched the two go at it with somewhat interest.

"Naruto's fighting style is unorthodox," Neji commented suddenly. Jiraiya nodded, proud that his student had picked up on that.

"Yes, he combines the strength of street brawling with the finesse of acrobatics," the teacher replied. "I wonder where he learned that."

Gaara stayed silent, his aquamarine eyes narrowed as he continued watching the blonde. He was familiar with the boy's style – as he, unbeknownst to anyone except for his siblings, had connections to Akatsuki and had seen the infamous Kitsune Kyuubi fight on numerous occasions.

Kitsune used this exact same style.

_He must have been the one to have taught Uzumaki how to fight like this,_ Gaara thought as he stared. _It is a good thing that outside of the Underworld, Kitsune's style is not well-known. But Uzumaki is not as good as Kitsune was._

Jiraiya and Neji didn't mind Gaara's lack of comment. They were used to it.

"What do you think the outcome of the fight?" Jiraiya wanted to know.

"It will be the Uchiha," Neji said without hesitation. "His attacks are more precise, his power more controlled. Uzumaki does neither… its as though he attacks, wishing for his blow to hit but not accurately aiming for anything."

_Idiot, _Gaara thought grimly, _That's what Kitsune's style makes you think. But that's not what's happening. If you look closely, Naruto's landed more hits than Sasuke has and forced Sasuke onto the defensive._

"Gaara?" Jiraiya asked slowly.

"I will not comment on this fight," the redhead said in a flat tone. Jiraiya looked at the boy thoughtfully. Usually, he was a little more open than this (though not by much). In fact, Jiraiya hadn't seen Gaara act like this for two years.

That worried the white-haired man, but he thought to himself that he might just be getting senile and that Gaara's just being Gaara.

The fight dragged on, neither combatant gaining any type of advantage. Their breathing was heavy now, as they had used up most of their speed during the first few minutes of the fight. Now it was to see who would drop from exhaustion first. All of the sudden, a kick from Sasuke sent Naruto flying across the grass before hitting the ground and rolling a few feet.

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, wondering what would happen next. He had a funny feeling that this wasn't the end. He couldn't describe it.

A few seconds later, Naruto moved his arms, bracing them to lift his upper body up. He was crouching before Sasuke, like a fox about to jump and snatch whatever prey it had in mind. If he had fox ears, they would be laid back, and his teeth were bared, anger running through his eyes.

Jiraiya watched this with interest, trying to see whether he should interfere or not. Naruto made a noise in his throat that sounded strangely like a snarl from an animal. Smirking evilly, he launched himself at Sasuke, despite the pain in his limbs. This was something that Kyubi _hadn't_ taught Naruto. He just did it on its own… like it had come to him.

Sasuke blocked Naruto's attack as much as he could, but the blonde haired boy seemed to be gaining speed by the minute. Narrowing his fathomless eyes, Sasuke swung a kick out at his younger friend. The boy ducked underneath the attack, bending backwards before grabbing Sasuke's leg, hugging it to him. With a smile that could have been mistake for a sneer, Naruto crouched down and kicked upwards, hitting Sasuke in the chin.

Now it was Sasuke's turn to fly back.

Jiraiya thought that he had seen enough for the time being. Naruto was more than he had thought he was. Something about the blonde drew people to him. Jiraiya wanted to know what that something was.

Jiraiya walked over to the two boys. Both seemed unhurt, with the exception of a minor bruise hear and there. The only thing that bothered him was Naruto clutching his rib.

"Oy, Naruto," Jiraiya called, getting the blonde's attention. Naruto's skyblue eyes turned to the teacher. "If you knew how to fight like that… why did you let bullies pick on you? I've heard Tsunade complain about how bullies should be stopped because of cases like yours."

Naruto grinned cheekily at the older man. "Well, y'know, pervert," Naruto said. "If you fight back against a bully, chances are the bully's just gonna get more people with him and beat you up even harder, so its better just to take the pain that you can stand instead of provoking what you can't."

Jiraiya thought this over for a moment before admitting that the boy had a point. He ruffled Naruto's hair in a fatherly fashion with a large grin on his face. "You're an interesting brat," he complimented. Jiraiya turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke… take Naruto to Tsunade. I want her to check out that rib of his."

Sasuke nodded and the two began to walk off.

"Jeez, dobe, first day and you already _re_injured your rib?" he asked.

"Fuck off… you're the one who did it."

At the clinic, Tsunade told them that all Naruto needed was a little bit of rest. Even though his ribs had healed, they were still in their tender stage so she made them promise to return to their dorm instead of going back to the dojo. Reluctantly, Sasuke and Naruto agreed to her terms.

The two made their way back to Naruto's dormroom, which had now been accepted as Naruto and Sasuke's dormroom. Feeling tired from their fight, Naruto lay down on his bed, immediately falling asleep, even though it wasn't later than six o'clock. Sasuke, on the other hand wanted to read, but he didn't have any books. Instead, he spotted Naruto's poetry sketchbook.

The Uchiha opened the book to a random page. He was surprised by the title.

"I Bleed Black," the Uchiha murmured softly, almost inaudibly to himself. A memory triggered itself in his brain.

**Flashback**

_"After_ _I walked away from you, I ran into Kabuto," Naruto started. "Kabuto told me that because of my prank, someone I considered a friend would, uh, 'lose his innocence', I believe were the words he said. I tried to find you and when I got there, I almost thought it was too later. That I was too late." Naruto bit his lip before continuing whilst Sasuke listened to him in complete silence. "If anything happened to you… I, I, I don't know what I'd do! It hurt me that they were going to hurt you. I felt like my heart was bleeding because he was being squeezed so much!"_

_ The blonde stopped, waiting for Sasuke's reply. He refused to look at the boy. He refused to speak again until the Uchiha did. _

_ "You did bleed," was all Sasuke murmured at first. _

_ Now Naruto looked at him, puzzlement on his face. "Huh?"_

_ "It's something my mother told me when I was a little kid," Sasuke told him. "When you get a physical wound, the blood that spills is red. Emotional wounds are different. They bleed, but the blood that spills is black. The wound sometimes will never stop bleeding, either, and that is why black blood is feared more than red."_

_ The two were silent for a little while after Sasuke completed his lecture/story. It was the blonde that broke the tense quiet of the room. _

_ "I bleed black," he muttered under his breath._

_ Sasuke looked at him. "What did you say?" he asked, for he hadn't heard him the first time. _

_ "I bleed black," Naruto repeated in a slightly louder tone. "I suppose I've always bled that way, even if I didn't realize it."_

**End Flashback**

_That phrase has been governing our lives for years,_ Sasuke thought to himself as he began to read what was written there, and learning how true his thoughts had been.

_True strength comes from within_

_True friendship never ends_

_True love never dies_

_Just like the stars twinkle in the skies_

_Even though you're always there_

_Growling or smiling and ruffling my hair_

_I find myself always wishing for_

_The unexpected times you showed up at my door_

_You were the very first friend I found_

_You showed me how to live life all around_

_Our days together seem to dwindle fast_

_So let's live each moment as though it's our last_

_And when I'm gone and not coming back_

_Remember that I will always bleed black_

_Yes you heard me right_

_As I whisper to the night_

_I bleed black_

_Not from the red that I lack_

_But rather because I am who I am_

_Rather because I find that I can_

_I bleed black_

_My vulpine smile was only an act_

_To everyone else – I seemed to be happy_

_But you know the truth: you know the real me_

_So as I leave like a silent cat_

_Always remember – I bleed black_

Sasuke stared at the poem, looking at the date. It was writing the same day that Naruto had disappeared from the hospital, as though Naruto had left it behind for Sauske to find, and to realize how much he meant to the blonde. These words showed what truly lay behind Sasuke and Naruto's complicated friendship. Sasuke allowed a smile to show on his face as he sat down on Kyubi's bed, still gripping the sketchbook to his chest. Without meaning to, he curled up around the book and fell asleep, his thoughts and dreams about a friendship that he had always wondered if it was real.

**_Kyuubi-chan's Corner!_**

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**_(1) _****_Momochi Haku. Yeah, Haku didn't have a last name, but I needed to give him one. Therefore, he's Zabuza's step-brother, oki?_**

**_(2) _****_Sabuka no Gaara is the Japanese form of "Gaara of the Desert." Since the manga tells me that Gaara, Temari and Kankorou are not only siblings, but triplets, I decided to take out the "of the" and just have their names mean Desert. Fun, right? I know, I know… stupid trick… and yes, the manga DOES say they are triplets. It's in the more recent chapters. I think around Volume 24… if I remember correctly._**

**_(3) _****_Eh heh heh heh… for those of you who don't know "Juu" means "Ten" so right now Tenten's name translates to "Ten Tenten." I'm lazy… and I searched all the books for her last name and SHE DOESN'T HAVE ONE! OH THE HORRORS! I spent over an hour searching for her name and I couldn't find what doesn't exist._**

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**_Yes, that was this day's chapter. All ten pages of it. WHOO! I finished the chapter, I finished the chapter. Now, to reply to reviews._**

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**_KageKitsune16: Save them… but then what would happen to my angst? I love angst… its that damn great. Twist and turn, break and burn, that's the way the plot goes 'round. Yeah, I might be twisting this plot a little, but its fun… so yeah… hope you enjoyed._**

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**_trubluewolfeyes: Yeah, I love Shikamaru that much, so he'll be added. This was just basically an introductory to the training. I'll get to the fun stuff later. Thanks for the idea about Gaara and Shukaku… I think I'll do that, actually. _**

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**_Anonymous Kitsune: here's another chapter out for you! Thanks for your review!_**

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**_Dark Mimiru-chan: Yeah, Sasuke's lost it… but that's okay, he's still cute about it. And he lost in a way that was beneficial. So that's cool too. _**

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**_Kutsu: This story gets more interesting? Wow… I thought it got more… strange… and unfollowing of plotlines ish. Yeah, don't mind me._**

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**_Tiffyki: Yeah, I realized how cheesy it sounded when I had Naruto say that… but y'know, it fits him. He would be the one to say it… because he just has to repeat anything just to make sure he heard it right. Whoosh, go Naru-chan and Sassy-chan!_**

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**_Renn: That's good. I half expected people to hunt me down and try to kill me because of my weird plot things._**

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**_Xiao Xin Yin: whoa… uber long review! Arigato! I was cracking up… and yeah, I've noticed FFN's review buttons have been doing it. It happens to me a lot and I just can't stop cursing at the damn things. I'm adding Sakura in… and maybe she'll become a bigger character later on… I'm still mulling over that idea. _**

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**_SquirrelofShadows: Very nice runon sentence… I was laughing the entire time. But I hope I'm not going to, well, y'know… kill off everybody, because then its not angst anymore… its cliché._**

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**_ManicReversed: Oh, you'll be happy (I hope) to see that Gaara plays a nice big part to the plot. I've been meaning to insert him for ages… MWA! _**

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**_Ookima: lol, thanks for the review. You seemed to bounce from topic to topic, so I'm not entirely sure how to reply. I may have fun with the SasuNaruSasu pairing, by splitting it up for a few chapters before coming back to it. ((snickers evilly)) I'm not sure though… I might be too lazy to._**

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**_Heero2001: Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you liked this story, and I hope to hear from you again in a review. _**

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**_SiriusRemusLove: Well, I am including Shino and Gai, though how big of parts they'll play, I don't really know. It's all up for grabs in my brain. _**

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**_Now to address the reviewer who's review I am VERY confused about. _**

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**_To: "thank u"_**

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**_I'm not entirely sure what the hell you were talking about, but I was pretty much able to work it out with the help of Ookima (thanks Ookima ((glomps)) =D). If you insist on flaming me, as that is what I think that is, then please, can you at least spellcheck your flame? I mean, come on, it took me an entire fifteen minutes of my life to realize that "gau" was most likely "gay" so yeah… I want those fifteen minutes back! And what's wrong with Naruto and Sasuke having sex? They won't have it yet – they're only thirteen, but that's not the issue that you brought up. You brought up the fact that both of them are guys. As I warned at the beginning of the chapter, its shonen ai. The warnings are there for a reason and that reason is NOT to take up space – it is to warn homophobes against reading so that I don't have to take time out of my writing time in order to bitch like I'm doing right now. Also, if you flame, please do NOT be a coward and leave your email address so that I won't have to show this message for all the world to see, I would just have to tell you personally. And don't use internet speech in a review. Internet speech is only for AIM, chatrooms and other internet messaging devices. It is not for reviews… ever… because reviews are there to be constructive criticism to the author. If you don't want to give good criticism or review and say what you liked about it, whatever, then don't press the little button. It's common sense, use it! _**

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**_Bah… this is too bothersome for me to continue. So I won't._**

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**_Oh yeah… and why would you even care about my sexuality? If I really was gay, then it's not of your business. If I'm not, it's still none of your business, so I really don't see the point of answering you plea. However, homophobes piss me off for various reasons that I'm not listing here. This rant has gone on long enough and I shall end it now. _**

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**_CIAO!_**

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**_-Kyuubi-chan-_**


	17. Return to Class

**_Hao, minna-san! I'm back with Chapter Seventeen… damn… this fic, I had originially expected to end around thirteen… or even seven… now I'm at Seventeen. Pretty fucked up, right? I hope I'm not dragging the fic on to nothingness… that would really really suck. And believe, some chapters, that's exactly what I feel like I'm doing. _**

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**_Anyways, since I'm incredibly laaaaazy with my fucked up Shikamaru complex, then I'm just gonna say it right here, instead of doing individual review, because several people asked/told me about this. Okay, maybe it was a mistranslation that Gaara, Temari and Kankarou were described as triplets… but I'm not a translator! I only know like… four Japanese characters. So I don't know. However… for this fic, they will be triplets. I'll just file that under my "Things that Kishimoto really needs to make sense of" file. In that file, also, is the fact that Naruto took the test three times. Normally, that would make him fourteen or fifteen, but he's twelve, so we just don't ask. There are several others that my brother and I have accumulated but since the file is in my and his heads, not actually on paper, it hurts trying to open it at will. _**

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**_Oh yeah, I've been meaning to do this since about chapter 10, but I kept forgetting to put the announcement up. If you would like to be emailed with updated, please leave your email address IN a review, as well as stating that you want to be emailed. Yeah… that's about it._**

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**_On a happier note, enjoy this chapter. _**

**I Bleed Black**

**Chapter 17**

The next day, Sasuke and Naruto returned to all of their normal classes as well ((after all, it's been, what…? Ten chapters or so… I figured I might as well put them in SCHOOL again… after all, this is kind of a SCHOOL fic.)) First class on their endless list, it seemed, was none other than a happy one-hour period with none other than Iruka-sensei.

Today, apparently, was when they got the final piece to their project. So, in other words, if they wanted to stay in school like Kyubi had advised, today was a good day for them to show up to classes. Naruto felt happier, seeing as how he was allowed to go back to being with the world again. He liked Sasuke, a best friend, maybe even more (as they were still both conveniently not mentioning the kiss they had shared not a week before), but sometimes he needed to be with other people, people who didn't know about his entire past with the mafia. It was those people that he found himself around now that he was back in classes.

Needless to say, it was kind of unnerving to see that everyone from the martial arts dojo was here, in this very class… but Naruto didn't mind. Hell, being part of the dojo might even earn him more friends. After all, Sasuke did say that they should be looking for allies.

Naruto still thought the Uchiha was insane for wanting to go up against the most powerful criminal organization on the face of the planet, with little more than hastily trained kids.

The blonde took the seat in the corner of the room. He watched the rest of the class fill in. Because they didn't want to arouse any type of suspicion, Sasuke sat in his usual seat. Then again, it should have been suspicious enough that both were missing for over a month. We'll just think the rest of the class was temporarily stoned and didn't notice that the Great Uchiha Sasuke was not there.

Yet… for the first time in nobody knows how long, the seat beside Naruto was taken, by someone other than Sasuke, of course.

Naruto, startled by the movement so close to him and fearful of it being another type of prank, jumped immediately on the defensive. The boy in front of him, a redhead a little taller than him with aquamarine eyes and a thin line as a mouth, for it looked like he never smiled, was familiar, but Naruto couldn't remember who.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked, still not letting his guard drop.

"Gaara," came the redhead's reply.

Suddenly, Naruto recalled the stoic redhead from training the night before. When Gaara showed no signs of attacking, Naruto calmed himself down. He faintly heard the whispers flying around the room about how Gaara, the most fearsome kid in the school and rumored to have actually killed people before, was sitting next to someone – who was none other than the biggest outcast of the school.

Something strange was happening.

"Ano… Uzumaki Naruto," the blonde replied with a grin. "Nice to meet you."

Gaara just stared at him for a second before nodding his head.

Gaara had acknowledged what someone was saying (besides the Advanced Literature teacher, Baki-sensei). However, the rest of the class didn't have any chance to figure out exactly _what_ was happening, as they were forced to pay attention to Iruka-sensei at that moment.

"All right," Iruka was saying. Naruto and Gaara tuned in, just to find out what was going on.

"Today, I will hand out the final part of your project. This is due exactly one month from today, so I advise you to get started, as it is not that simple. Here are the papers," Iruka said, as he passed out the papers to the entire class. "Please ask any questions after I dismiss you."

Naruto looked down at the paper that was handed to him.

**That's right, students, this is the end of this project. It is due exactly one month from the day you receive this paper. This part requires two parts. **

**I. ****Spend a week with your partner, living in their dorm and then write a journal from their point of view about the entire week. **

**II. ****Paint a portrait of your partner, in any style you wish, using oil paints. You will write a paper on what you wish to portray in this painting. **

Naruto stared down at the paper in horror. Number II didn't seem all that hard, but number I would be the death of him. Sasuke and him were already living together and knew more about each other than anyone knew about them. Now they were supposed to step into the other person's shoes? This was going to be hard.

Before he could contemplate further, someone was tapping his arm. Turning, he saw Gaara there, looking at him expressionlessly.

"Yes?" he asked softly.

"You were fighting Uchiha last night," Gaara stated. Even though it was phrased like a question, it was obviously Gaara was stating a fact.

"Yes…?"

"You fought… like someone else I have seen."

"So, I bet loads of people fight like that," Naruto replied, even though he knew that it wasn't true. Only two people fought like that. Naruto and Kyubi. Their bodies were perfect for the style, but it was more the shape of their will, determination, thirst to win and how they thought. Because they were similar, very similar, in those areas, Kyubi had been able to teach Naruto the art.

If they weren't, Naruto wouldn't have been able to learn it.

"Only one other person fights like that," Gaara told him, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I have seen Kitsune Kyubi fight before… and your style mirrors his. I want to know why."

"And why should I tell you?" Naruto asked. He was getting a bad feeling about this little interrogation and he didn't like the direction it was heading.

"Because I know you are connected to Akatsuki, just like Kyubi is," Gaara replied softly.

Naruto sprang out of his seat, not noticing what he was doing. His eyes were wide with fear, but they never left the redhead's. How… how did he know? How did he know of what Naruto had kept a strict secret – except to Sasuke… and there was no way that Sasuke would betray him.

Was there?

Would Sasuke betray him?

Naruto felt himself shaking slightly, moving away from the strange student that wouldn't stop looking at him with aquamarine eyes that he couldn't look away from. No matter how much he told himself to break the gaze, he couldn't look away. Why?

Naruto crumbled to his knees, gripping his head.

In the middle of class, everyone who hadn't already been staring now stared – as Naruto began to scream, gripping his head as though he was remembering something that wasn't something he wanted to remember – as though it was something that he couldn't bear to think.

The class was silent as they all stared at the orange-clad blonde on the floor.

Sasuke was on his feet in a flash, racing towards the blonde. No one could hear his footsteps over the loud blonde. But he was the only movement in the entire room.

Gaara's face was expressionless.

Sasuke, not caring that he was in public, threw himself in front of Naruto, gripping the boy's shoulder's as he kneeled on the floor.

"Naruto!" he whispered, shaking the boy's shoulders. The boy continued to shiver with fear as his hands gripped his hair even harder. Sasuke felt himself trembling with rage. He had seen Gaara talking to Naruto – and knew that whatever they had talked about was the thing that put Naruto in this position.

Standing up, the normally stoic boy turned to face the redhead. Without hesitation, Sasuke swung his fist back and threw it at Gaara.

Gaara, not expecting the attack in the classroom, was broken from his own expressionless state as he felt the knuckles collide with his jaw.

"What the fuck did you do to him?" Sasuke asked, raising his fist for another attack. There was a collect gasp throughout the classroom, the tense silence being broken only by Naruto's hollers, which had not stopped. Sasuke moved in for another attack.

This time, Gaara was ready.

The redhead caught his fist and moved in for a kick. Sasuke blocked with his other hand. The battle was on. Both boys jumped back, taking up fighting stances. Naruto, breaking out of his reverie saw Sasuke and the redhead – Gaara, he had said his name was Gaara – standing a good distance from each other, both crouched in their different attack stances. Sasuke's was karate, obviously, but Naruto recognized Gaara's from somewhere.

He just didn't know where.

It looked like…

Oh fuck.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, just as the stoic boy flew in at his opponent. _No, this can't be happening_, Naruto thought to himself. He know realized where he had seen that style. All of it was becoming more clear as he watched Gaara move against his friend.

He knew that style.

"_Sasuke, Gaara, stopit!" _he screamed loud enough. Surprisingly, both boys stopped, as they looked at the broken blonde. Naruto showed fear all over him – it was more than the fear of someone finding him out, it was the fear of an assassin, one from his memory that he had barely escaped from.

Suddenly, as he saw Sasuke running over to him, the blonde fainted. A vision swimming in front of him.

_He was six years old, running through the dark underside of the city, through the alleys. He was panting heavily as he made his way down one street and up another. He had long ago lost his way, so he didn't know his way back to where he had been staying lately. _

_Not that it mattered, since he was as unwanted there as he was pretty much everywhere else he went. He leaned against the wall of an alleyway, behind a dumpster. He hoped that he had managed to dodge out of the way of the assassin. _

_Soft, yet echoing footsteps at the entrance of the alleyway forced him to hold his breath. He tried to still his shaking body, not wanting to confront the assassin at the other end of the alleyway. _

_Sweat poured mercilessly down his face, stinging his eyes as he heard the footsteps walking down the alleyway. _

_A second later, he was face-to-face when Akatsuki's most powerful assassin. _

_Shukaku._

**_Kyuubi-chan's Corner!_**

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**_So minna-san, what did you think? Yeah, I finally got my ass around to finishing this chapter. I liked it. I liked it a lot, actually. Dude, I think that's the first time I've ever said I liked a chapter. _**

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**_Thank you for all of the reviews. I would respond to each and every one of them, except… well… I'm lazy, and I have two more chapters I have to write (one for the Kunoichi Gamble, the other for Ragtag Heroes Are Never Fallen) before the end of today. I think I'll make it, neh? I'm good at making most of my deadlines, if I bother making my deadlines._**__

**_Thanks so much! Ciao_**

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**_-Kyuubi-chan-_**

**_Ryuugankun_**


	18. Although Nobody Can Tell You

**_Yosh! I'm back and insane as ever. On a small notice, my name has indeed changed. After a long, very screwed up conversation with Nazo about what suffixes we prefer attached to our names, I came to realize how much I despise "chan." Well, not despise… more like – dislike. I don't know. I don't mind it, but I prefer "kun" instead. And if you say that because I'm a girl I can't be a "kun," then guess what…? ((evil smirk before pointing)) YOU CAN GO SHOVE A STICK UP YOUR ASS CAUSE I REALLY DON'T GIVE A FUCK WHAT YOU SAY! MWA! ((ahems)) Anyways, back to normal me… ((shifty glance)) or not…_**

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**_Continuing with the point of an AN, I'll apologize profusely for the shitty ending to Chapter Seventeen. Since Seventeen had basically been sitting under my ass for the longest time, I just wrote whatever and then ended it when I got bored again. If you wanna know the truth about this fic – Gaara was never supposed to be in it. And if he was, it was supposed to be a minor occurance, but boredom made Gaara into a main character. Don't you love the shitty ideas you get when you're bored? I do. I worship being bored, because some of my best ideas come out of it. _**

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**_Take this entire fic as an example. This was something I thought up when I went braindead during something or other. Shit… I don't even remember, but knowing me, I was probably bored out of my ass. _**

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**_Now that I'm done my chapter-ly rant, I shall give you all popcorn ((hands out popcorn)), drinks ((hands out drinks)), and I shall shut up. _**

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**I Bleed Black**

**Although Nobody Can Tell You**

_He was six years old, running through the dark underside of the city, through the alleys. He was panting heavily as he made his way down one street and up another. He had long ago lost his way, so he didn't know his way back to where he had been staying lately. _

_Not that it mattered, since he was as unwanted there as he was pretty much everywhere else he went. He leaned against the wall of an alleyway, behind a dumpster. He hoped that he had managed to dodge out of the way of the assassin. _

_Soft, yet echoing footsteps at the entrance of the alleyway forced him to hold his breath. He tried to still his shaking body, not wanting to confront the assassin at the other end of the alleyway. _

_Sweat poured mercilessly down his face, stinging his eyes as he heard the footsteps walking down the alleyway. _

_A second later, he was face-to-face when Akatsuki's most powerful assassin. _

_Shukaku._

Naruto wrenched himself back to reality just before he could remember the worst part of that one night. Why was he thinking about that time again? He looked around him, slightly scared by the unfamiliar surroundings. There was no one in sight.

He looked as though he were in a classroom of some sort. His vision was slightly blurry and he grabbed his head, which was pounding mercilessly. Dammit, this had to be the worst headache he had ever experienced in his lifetime. And that was saying a lot, considering he was gifted with at least one headache a day, and one migraine a week. It was worse sometimes, but that was the general average.

He heard footsteps, they sounded louder than usual footsteps sounded. The blonde groaned softly as he picked himself off the floor where he had been… napping? He didn't exactly know what to call it. A bout of unconsciousness would probably be a better way to explain whatever had happened.

Shaking his head slightly, the blonde made himself stand up. He locked his knees so that he would avoid falling over again.

"You're up, that's good," a voice said from behind him. Turning his head, Naruto saw Sasuke.

"Where am I?" the blonde asked his roommate-slash-friend-like-figure.

"You're in the classroom where you fainted while me and Gaara were fighting," he said sheepishly. "I would've taken you to the hospital, but everytime someone came near you, you would attack them. After a while, I just figured it would be better to leave you there, since you seemed oh-so-comfortable."

Naruto sneered at him. He was anything but comfortable. His head pounded and his muscles felt weak. He swore violently as he tried to walk, only to stumble forward, which forced his arms to support him using a desk, as his legs weren't doing a very good job with what they were supposed to do.

"What was that all about, anyway?" Sasuke asked as he helped Naruto sit into a chair. He took a chair from next to him and turned it around, sitting on it backwards, folding his arms and leaning his chin on them.

Naruto looked away, avoiding the Uchiha's eyes. "It was nothing but the past," he snapped out suddenly, leaning back into the chair.

Sasuke knew that it was anything but the past, but he wasn't one to push the subject unless he felt like it was a life or death situation.

"Come on, let's get you back to the dorm," the Uchiha growled. He went over to Naruto, grabbing his arm and hoisting him up, leaning the arm around his shoulders as his other arm held onto the blonde's waist.

Naruto let Sasuke half-walk/half-drag him back to their dormroom. On the way back, Naruto zoned out.

"…so you can rest," Sasuke was saying.

"Huh?" Naruto wanted to know.

"We still have an hour left before training so that you can rest, okay?" Sasuke repeated.

Naruto nodded, eyes staring ahead of him. He didn't want to sleep, but he knew it was the best thing for him at the moment.

Before he realized it, Sasuke had gotten him to the room and was laying him on his bed.

"Sasuke," Naruto mumbled.

"Hn?" the other boy replied.

"What happened… between you and Gaara?" Naruto wanted to know. He was happy to see that Sasuke was still alive, but it was strange – seeing someone else with _that_ style.

"Nothing," Sasuke explained. "After you fainted, neither of us felt much like fighting anymore. Why?"

"He's dangerous… the way he fights…" Naruto yawned, his voice trailing off as he rolled onto his side and closed his eyes. "It's familiar."

Sasuke nodded, pulling a blanket from the end of the bed and carefully tucking in his one and only friend. He loved watching over Naruto.

He didn't really know why. Sasuke wasn't one to watch out for people, so he could only blame it on being something more. It wasn't part of his nature, but he enjoyed taking care of Naruto. He was Sasuke first real friend, and the first person outside of the family to know of Itachi and what his father still did to him.

It was strange, this friendship that they had grown to love. They were polar opposites, completely different. Sasuke was like the Moon that shown at night, while his eyes reflected the color of a starless twilight sky.

Naruto was as bouncy and lovable as the Sun, with eyes the color of the cloudless summer sky.

They truly were opposites, but like the Sun shares its rays with the Moon, Sasuke found himself warming up around Naruto. He was no longer that much of a cold exterior, even around other people – as long as Naruto was there. He found such things strange, but there only a few things that you can contemplate in life. The rest is up to understand when you look back. He smiled softly, moving the blond fringe that formed bangs out of the boy's eyes.

Any way he looked at it, him and Naruto had developed a strange relationship. Brought together by a project and kept together by a secret. He wondered if they would always be able to live together. He wouldn't mind that. Despite his past, Naruto was incredibly naïve when it came to a lot of things.

Sasuke wanted to be there for the blonde.

He wanted to be there to see his friend's smiles.

To dry his tears.

To tell him he's not alone.

Or to take him to a place they had been dreaming of.

To offer an ear to listen to troubles.

To chase off offenders.

To be there for his first, and only, real friend.

Sasuke's eyes softened as he realized what he was thinking about it. He was in love, there was nothing else to be said about that. He didn't care if he had sworn never to love, or if his father would kill him for falling in love with a guy. All of those troubles vanished as Sasuke watched the object of his affection.

A sudden thought came to the black-haired boy.

What would happen if Naruto found out about his feelings? The boy would probably be disgusted… like most normal people were by homosexuals. Sasuke sighed softly.

He would love his friend from afar, protecting him from danger, and happy that he was happy. After all, love wasn't about being with the person you love – it was about watching them live a full and happy life.

Love was something that could not be explained in words, but it was there.

And Sasuke felt it for the first time in his life.

He looked at the clock. Twenty minutes until training. He would wake Naruto up in ten so they could walk there instead of having to run because they were just that late.

Pulling out Naruto's sketchbook, Sasuke flipped to the very last page. Naruto's sketches, poetry and drawings only took up half of the book. The other half was blank, but Sasuke wanted to fill it with his own voice, his own poetry and sketches. That way, he could say that this book was a transition from one boy to two, from the past to the future. He smiled and shook his head at the thought.

He was reading too deep into things and he knew it. Slowly, he began to trace the lines, eyes glancing at his roommate-slash-best-friend-slash-first-love. He was drawing the boy while he was asleep. He couldn't help it. Naruto looked so cute when he slept.

His hand was curled next to his face and his breathing was even and deep. The wild blonde hair flopped graciously onto his tanned, whiskered face. His lips were parted slightly as the light blue blanket that matched his eyes was pulled up to his chin.

Sasuke would draw this image as well as he could. He was a good artist to, about as good an artist as Naruto was a poet. Even though his poetry wasn't that good, in his opinion, Sasuke wanted to continue Naruto's style and write a poem about his picture, once he was finished with it.

After Sasuke finished the initial black and white sketch, without any shading, he reached over to his side of the room and grabbed his color pencils. Ever so slowly, he began to shade in the appropriate color with the matching part of the portrait. He wasn't going to submit this portrait to Iruka. Naruto sleeping wasn't enough. He wanted to find something that described Naruto – that made Naruto who he was.

But he didn't think that such a thing could be drawn at this point.

After a few more minutes, Sasuke deemed the portrait of his sleeping Naruto complete. He glanced at the clock. He still had three minutes before he would wake up Naruto. Sasuke was a fast artist, but he could be slow when it was really important. He would probably be slow with the oil painting, because he needed ideas for it first. He would watch Naruto, then he would find what could best describe the boy.

With that decided, he began his poem.

_Although nobody can tell you_

_I've watched you from afar_

_Although nobody will answer you_

_I've heard your every call_

_And I don't know why I haven't been here_

_Long enough for you to see me too_

_I guess I've just been somewhere else_

_Dreaming of me and you_

_I walk out my door with a smile on my face_

_Gotta run tough, can come in last place_

_You sit there with a grudging look_

_Was there something from you that I took?_

_And it must be something important_

_If you still hate me this way_

_Maybe I'm just misinterpreting_

_The signs in the sky today_

_And I don't know why I haven't been here_

_Long enough for you to see me too_

_I guess I've just been somewhere else_

_Dreaming of me and you_

_I've always wondered what it meant to be big_

_Always wondered what it meant to be strong_

_Always asked such questions as these_

_And was ignored all day long_

_But now I think I know the answer to my question_

_Now I think I know the answers I deserve_

_Even though I may not seem like someone with a brain_

_I have a strong heart, a good mind, and a spirit_

_That'll fight forever for you again!_

_And although nobody can tell you_

_Although you haven't seen me_

_I'm here for you – this last time_

_A hug is all I give to you before I leave_

_Although nobody can tell you this_

_I love you_

Sasuke smiled. He slowly thought over the title. Realizing the phrase that he had repeated throughout the poem, he penciled down, "Although Nobody Can Tell You" before shutting the book. He glanced at the clock. It was exactly 3:50 PM. He shoved the book into his knapsack before leaning over and poking Naruto.

"Nnnn," Naruto groaned, swatting at his roommate's hand. "NNnn…go away…nnn."

"Can't do that, dobe," Sasuke replied. He loved calling Naruto that. it was the one thing that _always_ got a reaction out of the blond.

Naruto sat straight up. "_What did you just call me?"_ he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Nothing, dobe," Sasuke retorted. "C'mon, we need to get to the dojo."

Naruto nodded and stood up, stretching. Sasuke grabbed his bookbag, which held his and Naruto's sketchbook. He swung it over his shoulder and walked to the door.

"Are you coming or not, dobe?" he growled out as he was about to exit. Naruto rushed over.

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

Sasuke smiled to himself as he continued on his trek to the dojo, now with Naruto beside him. The blonde seemed to be feeling over. He had his hands folded behind his head and was watching the sky, commenting about a random fact here and there. Sasuke wasn't replying to anything he said, so eventually, the blonde just stopped talking.

It took them only a few minutes to get to the dojo.

They got there exactly at four o'clock. Knowing that today was probably going to a bunch of spars again, the two began to stretch so that they wouldn't cramp a muscle. Naruto hoped that his ribs wouldn't fall apart on him as he stretched. They seemed to be healing nicely, if slowly, but they were ribs, and ribs heal slow.

Naruto _really _wanted to kill Orochimaru for doing this to him. Unfortunately, he didn't feel like being on trial for murder. Then again, jail might be a good place to hide from Akatsuki. But who knew how many members of Akatsuki were in jail? In the end, Naruto decided he would stay out of jail, just because there were too many unknown factors in prisons.

After Kurenai took roll, she turned to the class. "Gai, Azuma, Jiraiya and myself have decided that the best thing for all of you would be to stay in the groups that you were assigned last night. Instead of moving around, though, you're going to stay with the teacher you had during the first hour yesterday."

The class nodded, understanding what she said.

"All right, find your teachers, and you'll learn what you'll be doing from them," she said.

The class broke up into the four cells they had been assigned. Sasuke, Naruto, Gaara and Neji walked over to Jiraiya.

"So what's tonight?" Naruto wanted to know. He was in a better mood than he had been the night before. Even though the incident had happened that morning in the classroom, Naruto felt a lot better after his hour of sleep.

"We're going to spar, but you'll change partners," Jiraiya explained as they walked outside again. Naruto didn't mind being outside. He liked it better than being inside anyway. "Naruto – you fight with Gaara first and then Sasuke and Neji will have a go. I want whoever's on the sidelines to watch carefully the style of how your teammates fight. You will write a paper describing the style of the other three, understand?"

"Yeah, ero-sennin," Naruto grumbled while the others nodded.

Jiraiya had the urge to smack Naruto, but he managed to hold back. Instead he yelled, "Just go and fight, brat!"

Naruto snickered as he and Gaara went to their places at opposite ends of the clearing. Both of them got into their "ready" stances, waiting for the unknown signal that would breach the silence.

Jiraiya sneezed.

The two adversaries raced towards each other, both wanting to get the first strike. As Gaara lunged in with a punch, Naruto ducked left and managed to punch Gaara in the stomach, but not before Gaara's knee connected with his abdomen.

Both jumped back, trying to regain the breath that had been forced out of them. Their stances were defensive, ready to move at any moment the other would strike.

Naruto recovered first. With a low hiss, he ran in again, this time diving just as Gaara's leg came up. The blonde skidded forward a few inches. He leapt to his feet and before Gaara could turn around, spun and kicked the redhead in the small of his back.

Gaara went flying forward, landing hard before forcing himself to a roll to avoid most of the damage. Not wishing to give his opponent a second of time, Naruto rushed in once more. This time Gaara was ready. The two exchanged blocks, kicks, punches and dodges in a frenzied dance of death.

Their styles of fighting completely different, so it was an unexpected battle, for both the fighters and the spectators.

Jiraiya turned to Sasuke and Neji. "What do you think of their styles?" he wanted to know. He made sure that his students watched each other. They could learn a lot from that if they really tried.

Neji was the first to speak, as he was more used to answering this question. "Naruto still has an unorthodox mix of acrobat and street style. Gaara's technique is more honed than Naruto's but his speed slightly less. Gaara's style tends to aim for the sensitive areas, rather than waste time tiring the opponent down."

Jiraiya nodded. "Sasuke?" he asked.

Sasuke thought for a second before answering. "I thought their fighting was reminding me of something I once saw in the trashcan behind my house."

"What do you mean?" Jiraiya wanted to know.

"Well, there was a raccoon going through the trash and a fox also going through the trash. When both of them reached the same spot, they began to fight. I don't know why this reminds me of those animals, but Naruto seems to be like a fox and Gaara a raccoon."

Neji and Jiraiya stared at him for a moment, making the Uchiha shift uncomfortably before Jiraiya patted his head. Sasuke glared at the teacher, shaking his hand off him.

"Good, you're looking underneath the underneath," Jiraiya said. "Every fighter must, lest they be caught in the trap."

"Trap?" Sasuke and Neji asked at the same time.

Jiraiya chuckled. "Everything is a trap, just as everything is not a trap. Depending on how we view something, it is either harmful or safe."

Sasuke and Neji blinked, obviously confused. They didn't ask anything else though, as they turned back to Gaara and Naruto.

Both boy who were fighting had blood smeared across their skin, as well as mud. Their eyes studied one another as their breathing became heavier. Suddenly, Gaara sprang forward, too quick for anyone to follow his movements. His elbow crashed into Naruto's gut as his fist flew up and smashed the boy's chin. Naruto fell back. Gaara looked at the boy, limping closer to the seemingly still form.

As soon as Gaara was within five feet of the blonde, said blonde crouched, growling slightly in the back of his throat. Gaara looked at the boy strangely. The blue eyes that he had grown used to seeing grew crimson as the pupils became mere slits. His whisker scars blurred and lengthened as fangs grew.

Gaara stared in disbelief, realizing what was happening.

Naruto was exactly like him.

Suddenly there was a voice of laughter on the other side of the clearing. Naruto's head whipped to the side at the same time Gaara's did.

A woman stepped out into the clearing. She was tall, with black hair stripped in red and gold. Her aquamarine eyes stared at the five people who were there. She was wearing a crimson yukata and black pants under it. Her smile was sinister.

Gaara felt himself pale when he saw who was there. What was _she_ doing here? How could _she_ be here? He heard a strange sound and looked to his right. Naruto was staring at the woman with what looked like fear in his eyes.

So Naruto recognized her, too. At least that meant Gaara wasn't seeing things.

However, _her_ being here wasn't a good thing either.

"Well, well, well," the woman purred as she stepped closer. Naruto felt the nails of his fingers lengthen into claws as a form of self-defense. The woman in front of him… he knew her. He wished that he could be left alone, but why did they have to send _her?_

"Who are you?" Jiraiya asked as he began to walk forward.

The woman didn't pay him any attention as she strode up to Naruto. Naruto stood up, knowing he would have a better chance of surviving if he was on his feet. The woman cupped his chin in her hand. Naruto quickly moved it. Her touch sent chills down his spine.

"It seems like you _weren't_ a failure after all," she whispered to him.

His eyes darted to hers, confused.

"You mean you don't know?" she asked, mock surprise filling her voice. Naruto shivered. "You were Akatsuki's experiment, you, Gaara and Kyubi. Akatsuki wanted to see what would happen when they combined a human embryo with the DNA of an animal. Yours and Kyubi's was a fox, Gaara's a raccoon. Don't ask me why they chose those animals."

Naruto's eyes widened. He felt confusion, surprise and fear jolt through him as he took a step backwards. The woman merely walked towards him again, cupping his cheek with her hand. Jiraiya stomped over but Gaara sent a look his way and shook his head.

_Wait_, he mouthed to his teacher.

Hoping that Gaara knew what he was doing, Jiraiya stopped.

The woman's smooth skin caressed Naruto's cheek and she was whispering to him. What she told him made tears leak out of his eyes.

"Now do you see why people called you a monster?" she asked. "It's because its true. You could have been a great weapon to Akatsuki, but you were a failure. You can't even transform completely like Kyubi could." She paused for a moment, a cruel smirk twisting her otherwise beautiful face. "Kyubi's gone now. I hunted him down myself. You should have seen it. He fought for his life, hanging on. I killed him. I stabbed him with his own weapon, making the blood pour out, making the blood spill out. He died painfully, slowly, screaming in pain. Nothing better than that filthy traitor deserved." Her eyes never left his. "And in his dying moments, all he kept saying was your name. He died because of you. Don't you get it? He could have just come back to the Academy and it would've been okay. He wasn't going to get assigned your assassination anyway. But he had to run away. And so I hunted him. He was my prey. I killed him."

With an evil smile, she pulled out a dark piece of cloth, smearing it on the blonde's face. "This is his blood," she murmured to him. "This is the tainted blood that you killed. It was your fault. If you had just died like a good little boy all those years ago, then you wouldn't have been responsible for his death." She laughed mirthlessly, a truly spine-tingling sound. "And he won't be the last, monster. Others will die because of you. All those you care about, all those you love – they will die. And there blood will stain your hands, just like Kyubi's stains your face."

Naruto brought a shaking hand up to his cheek, where Kyubi's blood was. The substance stained his fingertips. He looked at it, before his eyes widened even more and he shook his head.

"Kyubi's not dead – he sent me a letter, he's not dead… he can't be dead…" he muttered to himself, almost dropping to his knees. The woman's hand clasped around his neck, though, tightening and holding him aloft. Naruto barely noticed it through the emotional turmoil that was chasing through his brian.

Kyubi?

Kyubi's not dead.

He couldn't be.

He was Kitsune Kyubi.

Naruto was shaking all over. Gaara wanted to help him, but he couldn't do anything against the woman. Well, he could, but then he would be in trouble.

Jiraiya, seeing the tense knuckles encircling Naruto's throat jumped forward. He smacked the woman off him. Normally, he wasn't one to hit girls, but this woman was trying to kill the one he had placed under his protection. Well, one of the two.

"Why are you trying to protect that monster!" the lady spat, her eyes not angry. Instead they held a sadistic gleam.

Jiraiya shrugged as he stood between his students and this female. "Why are you so bent on killing him?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Because he's just a filthy beast," was the reply. "I thought his pelt would make a nice coat."

With that, she was gone. Jiraiya turned to the now-normal Naruto. He was shaking. Sasuke and Neji were frozen with surprise where he had left them. The white-haired man turned to Gaara.

"Who was that woman?" he asked.

Gaara's cold eyes didn't move from the blonde. "That was Shukaku of Akatsuki," he answered. "She's the best assassin there is."

_I finally finished this. NINE PAGES! WHOO! Man, I'm beat! I didn't know what I was writing, but I knew I wanted to pull Gaara and Shukaku in this chapter. And then the idea of the half-fox Naru-chan came to me, and I'm like… dude, whatever the fuck keeps hitting me with ideas, please don't make them go away. _

_Thanks for all of the reviews. _

_I'm bored and feel like doing a mailing list. If you wish to be added to the mailing list, leave your email address inside the body of a review and I will add you. _

_Thanks everyone_

_-Kyuubi-kun-_

_-Ryuugan-chan-___


	19. One Breath

**_Hey everyone… after working on Ragtag Heroes Are Never Fallen for a while, I finally decided to get my ass working on this one again. I'm writing and editing it during my classes, so its gonna be strange and that's the reason it took a while. Most of it gets done in my Astronomy and Photography classes, actually – though some in my English class and Gym Class. Yeah… that's about it… the first two I write in them everyday, the last two are only once a week or so. Well, here's the next chapter for all of you. _**

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**I Bleed Black**

**Chapter 19**

After Shukaku left, Sasuke and Neji took a second to recover their bearings. While the strange woman had been there, both of them had been overwhelmed by the killing intent that came with her presence. Sasuke felt like he was eight years old again and facing down his father after his brother's murder. He wasn't too happy about that. The Uchiha saw Naruto crumble, trembling at the blood that stained his hands.

Sasuke ran over to him. "Naruto," he called to the boy as he dropped to his knees beside him. The blonde seemed to be entering one of his trauma-shock states, which Sasuke knew wasn't a good thing for the boy's mentality. Briefly, Sasuke realized that Naruto had been sinking into these phases a lot recently, but he didn't dwell on it, knowing that Naruto needed his help at the moment.

"S-Sasuke?" the blonde's quavering voice asked.

"I'm here, Naruto," the ravin-haired student assured his temporary-turned-permanent roommate. His voice was soft and soothing to the Uzumaki child. "What's wrong?"

Naruto shook his head. He grabbed onto the front of Sasuke's shirt. His blue eyes were downcast as he felt his lip shake slightly. The person he had lived with, laughed with, cried with and shared with was gone.

"What's wrong, Naruto?" a voice cut through his consciousness as he stared at the ground. His eyes flicked momentarily to the blood that was seeping into his pores on his hands.

Kyubi's blood.

His friend's blood.

"Sasuke… Kyubi… he's gone," Naruto murmured in the voice of a small child. "It's my fault he went away. It's my fault he's gone. It's all my fault."

Sasuke was confused, to say the least. "Naruto – Kyubi went into hiding last week, you should know that he left. Its not your fault because he chose to leave."

When Gaara chose this time to speak up, his voice was sharp. "That's not the kind of 'gone' he means, Uchiha," the raccoon boy snarled. "Kitsune-san was slaughtered by Shukaku."

The Uchiha prodigy looked at the redhead with what appeared to be a touch of horror. "What do you mean? How do you know about Kyubi-sama and Shukaku anyway?" The black eyes narrowed suspiciously, but didn't turn away from the malicious aquamarine gaze of the redhead.

Jiraiya looked from one boy to the other, seeing that this wasn't going to end well unless he stepped in. "All four of you – to my office!" he barked, in a serious tone that he rarely used, even when he _was_ serious.

Gaara, Neji, and Sasuke all stared at him for a moment before each of the three nodded. Sasuke turned his attention back to the half-human in front of him, talking in a soft voice that only Naruto could hear.

After a moment of Sasuke talking to the shattered boy, Naruto nodded briefly. A small smile planted itself on the Uchiha's face as he got up and hoisted the blonde to his feet. Sasuke knew Naruto was feeling emotionally unstable, so he let the boy hold his hand without wincing too much. Naruto's grip was naturally strong and it was intensified by his current fear of everything.

The four teenagers followed Jiraiya for the few minutes it took to get to his office. Once Jiraiya had closed the door, he motioned to the students, telling them wordlessly to sit down in the chairs. Sitting in his own seat, he looked at the four thirteen-year-old boys across the desk.

Neji looked completely confused – as though he was trying to put everything together and the pieces of the puzzle weren't fitting properly.

"What happened at the training field tonight and the explanation for said event will be kept in this room," Jiraiya began, seeing that none of the kids wanted to speak. "That means that you can tell no one, not ever your friends, is that clear?" The man glared down at the four. "If you spread this information, you will immediately be expelled from Konoha Academy."

The four gathered nodded at his statement after a moment of contemplation.

Jiraiya smiled, returning somewhat to his usual self. This set those in front of him slightly at ease.

"Gaara – since you asked me to wait while this… this…" the older man's voice trailed off as he tried to remember the woman's name.

"Shukaku," Gaara spat out vehemently.

"Thanks," was the response from his martial arts instructor. "Now, since you told me to hang back, I would like for you to explain to us why."

Gaara's eyes became cold. Usually, this sent most people running but Jiraiya was used to staring down his redheaded student.

After a moment of tense silence, Gaara finally began to explain. Throughout his speech, his voice remained more or less emotionless and flat.

"The woman who you saw is named Shukaku. She is a fierce fighter and a deadly assassin. She belongs to a mafia-type group named Akatsuki. Shukaku has always been one of the key members of Akatsuki. Her rank among them rivals that of Uzumaki Arashi, the Spiral Angel of Death."

Naruto's head snapped up at the mention of another Uzumaki out there. His blue eyes were wide and filled with tears as he looked into Gaara's cold gaze. Surprisingly, Gaara's eyes softened slightly as he stared at the blonde.

"She has never been caught, never been contested, and has never failed in an assignment," Gaara concluded after a moment.

"How do you know all of this?" Sasuke wanted to know.

"Shukaku was my mother," Gaara replied softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

Naruto started. There was someone else out there like him and Kyubi. There was someone else who was bound by blood to Akatsuki and hated themselves for it. He could hardly believe it to be true, but when he looked into Gaara's eyes, he realized that the boy wouldn't lie about something like this.

Naruto shook his head. He remembered – though most of _that_ night with Shukaku was hazy, he could still remember what had happened. He had nearly been killed – it was a wonder that he was able to survive.

And it was all thanks to his fucked-up DNA… he wasn't even human. The words echoed themselves in his head.

Uzumaki Naruto wasn't even a human being. He was only half-human, and he felt somehow degraded by that fact. No one people spat on him all of these years – he wasn't on equal standards with them, so maybe they had the leeway to do whatever they wanted.

When they called him a monster… were they right?

What about a beast?

Naruto shook his head, his blonde locks flying in a type of swirling motion as he curled himself up on his chair.

Sasuke and Jiraiya were looking at him with concern, Neji looked confused and Gaara didn't look at him anymore.

It was as though the redhead knew what he was going through.

And in a way he did.

Gaara wasn't human either.

The thought struck Naruto, acting like the raft in the storm-ravaged sea of his mind. He wasn't alone. There was someone else out there like him. Sighing, Naruto stood up. He heard the light buzz of conversation around him, mainly from Sasuke and Jiraiya. Neji seemed perfectly content with just listening, to see if he could find a way to make the puzzle fit together. Gaara was being Gaara and ignoring everything around him.

Naruto stumbled out the door of Jiraiya's office, even after vaguely hearing said teacher yelling at him. But he didn't listen to Jiraiya. His mind was in a daze, and he didn't care. He felt light, free, almost _happy_ like he had felt what seemed a short time ago.

It was relief.

Relief was surging through the blonde, giving him the feeling that he could do anything. It gave the boy the feeling that nothing was holding him back and that he had nothing to fear or worry about.

Relief could be a wondrous thing.

Especially after being so long in the dark

As he began to walk out, he was composing poetry in his head.

_I am trapped in the shadows_

_Trapped in the past_

_In the misery_

_That I know I'll never miss_

_If I can ever find out a way to be free_

_So I'll fly, cry and die_

_For just one breath of air_

_Just one breath of life_

_Just one time I want to soar_

_Want to scream running out the door_

_Want to know the truth that's sealed_

_Want to know why the past doesn't seem real_

_Clouds, they drift in the skies_

_But I don't notice them_

_Because I'm trapped in shadow_

_And I just found my light_

_I just found my way out_

_I just found my savior_

_I just found the truth that I wasn't told_

_The truth I wish I never knew_

_But now I do_

_So I'll just let it set me free_

_Instead of hold me back_

_I'll soar – for just one breath of air_

_I'll fly – one more time, you'll see_

_Oh, yeah, one more time_

-----

"Naruto, where are you going?" Sasuke wanted to know. His hands gripped his chair tightly. Naruto didn't response as he walked out the door. Sasuke glanced at Jiraiya. The martial arts instructor nodded when he saw the question that clouded the Uchiha's eyes.

Sasuke jumped to his feet and jetted out of the door as quickly as he could. He was surprised that he couldn't see the blonde he had allied himself with. Naruto seemed to have disappeared.

He quickly ran down the hallway of the administrative building. Knowing Naruto, the boy had gone outside. That meant that he was not in the building, of course. The Uchiha ran quickly to the nearest exit of the building.

He could only hope that Naruto wasn't going to get himself into any type of trouble. Or that Sasuke got into trouble again, as well.

------

Gaara turned to Jiraiya. "Is Uzumaki Naruto related to Uzumaki Arashi?" the cold-hearted redhead growled at the older man.

Jiraiya just shrugged. "Naruto has no memories of his parents. All that you see him as, he has made himself to be."

Gaara stayed silent for a few minutes. "I wonder," the boy spoke softly, but his tone was somewhat cruel. "How does Uchiha play into all of this?" He paused as though he was thinking. "Uzumaki, I can understand, but Uchiha has no relations to Aktsuke. Knowing what goes on will only bring him death in the end."

Neji spoke up from where he had been quietly listening. "So what am I doing here?" he wondered aloud as he stared from Jiraiya and Gaara. "I am like Uchiha. Akatsuke would only bring danger in my direction."

Gaara took a moment before replying to the Hyuuga. "You are wrong," he murmured in a flat voice.

Neji did not show his surprise as he stared back at his strange teammate. "I am human – though I am like a caged bird. My cage is the main house of the Hyuuga Clan. Like my father and hundreds before him, I am a member of the branch family of our Clan."

His words were uttered in a flat, yet icy tone, as he held the gaze of the raccoon hybrid. He never backed down from a challenge, and in a way, Gaara was challenging Neji's very identity. It angered the Hyuuga, sending a surge through his blood. His eyes – pale purple in color, the pupil taking up most of where the iris should be – narrowed as his lip twitching into a frown.

As he was staring at Gaara, Neji felt a tingling in his forehead before it strengthened. The tingling grew into a prickling like pins continuously poking his forehead. Neji gritted his teeth against the discomfort. Another moment pulled by and the Hyuuga branch member felt as though his forehead was on fire. Giving a startled cry of pain, the teenager fell to his knees, clutching his forehead. All thoughts of Akatsuki and Gaara were forced from his mind as he tried to make the pain go away.

After a moment, the boy was all right again, though his breathing was ragged. Jiraiya looked at him with concern.

"What happened, Neji?" he wanted to know as he stared at the boy.

The Hyuuga looked up at his instructor. Slowly, he removed the bandana that was tied around his forehead. A light green tattoo was embedded there.

"This is my cage – it's the curse of being part of the Branch Family," he growled coldly.

------

Naruto was walking along, his head still free of everything. In fact, if he had ever smoked marijuana before – he would tell people that it was a feeling similar to being high.

He didn't notice much about his surroundings, intent on only getting to the top of the school. The roof was one of his "special spots" as he liked to call them. It was a place that no one ever went and so he could be at peace. Right now, all the blonde really wanted to do was lay down and watch the clouds.

After a few minutes of walking, he managed to get to where he was trying to get to. Stretching, he lay on his back, staring up at the sky. His arms were folded behind his head and his ankles crossed as he watched the fluffy white shapes float across the blue sea.

It was claming, relaxing and seemed to fit perfectly in with his current mood. Naruto found himself envying the birds that lazily drifted across the blue above him. They were so… free… for lack of a better word that anyone would envy them.

Naruto, bound by his past, was especially jealous – for he wished to have that freedom himself.

But he knew that the possibilities of him receiving it were slim to none.

As soon as he reached the roof, Naruto lay back onto the flat surface. The clouds drifted lazily and he was able to make believe that he was flying for a moment. A shadow brought the blond back to Earth. Squinting up at the person that was about him, Naruto gasped. His eyes widened as he recognized Orochimaru about him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, trying not to give into his fear. He felt himself shaking slightly, but didn't know why. He told himself that he could kick these guys' asses any day, but his body wasn't responding to that. One of Orochimaru's gang members yanked Naruto to his feet, holding his wrists firmly in place behind him.

Orochimaru sneered at the blonde. He let one of his hands softly caress the younger boy's cheek. "You are a very pretty specimen, you do realize this, correct?" he voiced, thumb lightly massaging his captive's cheekbone.

Naruto's mind didn't comprehend the words being spoken to him as he looked curiously into the distance. Only heightened emotions – anger or depression – gave him a significant bond with the fox that harbored inside of his DNA.

"My boss would be pleased if we brought you to him," the upperclassman continued. Naruto saw Orochimaru lick his lips in anticipation and shuddered at the sight.

This was an entirely new kind of bullying to Naruto. He looked around, trying to stop his knees from shaking. When bullies found out new ways to break him, Naruto had always learned that these ways were usually worse.

Naruto's gaze settled on his snake-like upperclassman. "What are you talking about?" he asked in a quiet voice. HE really didn't want to know the answer, but he needed to know – for his own safety.

"You should find out soon enough," Orochimaru murmured softly as he stepped towards Naruto.

The small blonde tried to step back but ran into one of the gang members. He felt something hard press into his back and went pale. No matter how naïve he acted, Naruto knew what an erection was.

A distinct chill went down Naruto's spine as he looked at the hungry glean in Orochimaru's eyes.

"N-no," he muttered, scared out of his wits. When it came to someone close to him, Naruto could become a great fight, but when it came to himself, he was unable to do anything. Fear gripped him, made him immobile.

"I-I though you wanted Sasuke," Naruto accused, his voice trembling. Orochimaru snickered at this, hands roaming under the blonde's shirt, feeling the baby fat that still clung to the younger's muscled form.

Orochimaru's hands sent shivers through Naruto's body. He stared into the snake-man's eyes, looking for the answer he sought.

"Mark my words, Naruto-chan," Orochimaru purred. "I _do_ want Sasuke. Who doesn't want him? After all that he ahs become – even with his past. He is stronger than you – more beautiful than you. Sasuke is so much better than you."

Naruto felt a slight anger rise but it was squashed by the fear that washed over him when Orochimaru's fingers grabbed his left nipple.

"Then… then why me?" Naruto wanted to know as he tried to squirm away. He was held in place by the person behind him.

Orochimaru grinned as he began to life up the boy's shirt. "You're just my job," he whispered lustily.

Naruto shook with fear. He could imagine what Sasuke had gone through – what the boy had thought when in a similar position.

"And because you stopped my last chance with Sasuke," the snake-like upperclassman hissed, fury in his voice.

Naruto shook like a leaf as the man in front of him pulled off his bright orange jacket. Thoughts of escape left his mind as he brain braced itself for what was to come. It was another one of his self-defense mechanisms that was both good and bad at the same time.

------

Naruto stared at the seven people who were there, wondering why all of them were still here. In the back of the ranks, he noticed the bran-haired man that was glaring at him. The face looked familiar, as though he should remember where he had last seen the man.

Then it hit him.

The man was Sasuke's would-be rapist.

------

"If you were going to be cooperative, I was going to make it slow, make it not hurt – as much, but you insist on being difficult, don't you?" Orochimaru snarled at him.

Naruto tried to cower, only to jump back up straight when he felt his holder's erection brush his ass.

Orochimaru advanced, his lips capturing Naruto's once more. The blonde bit the tongue that invaded his mouth. Orochimaru drew back, an angry glare in his eyes. He pulled his hand back and sharply smacked Naruto.

The force of the hit ripped the Uzumaki from his captor, sprawling him on the ground. He shivered, trying to gain back any shreds of his dignity that he could. He supposed that he was gathering a few of them by fighting back.

As two of his henchmen grabbed Naruto's wrists and ankles, Orochimaru himself straddled the blonde's stomach.

"S-s-stop," Naruto whimpered as Orochimaru began to kiss and suck on his neck. The marks that were left on the tanned skin turned Orochimaru on even more, as did the feeling of the writhing boy beneath him.

"Why should I do a thing like that?" the upperclassman asked as he licked a trail down the boy's chest.

It was a long time afterwards, when Naruto fell into a state of unconsciousness.

------

Sasuke looked around, wondering what was happening. He hadn't been able to find Naruto for the past hour and a half. He had thought he had heard the boy's scream as soon as he ran out of the building, but he wasn't so sure anymore. He had searched everywhere, not knowing where his friend would be. He found himself at the arts building, looking up at the roof. The arts building was easily the tallest building on the campus of Konoha Academy.

The logical part of Sasuke's mind told him that if he was on top of the Arts Building, then it would be easier to spot all those below him. After much contestation to this remark by his mind, Sasuke had finally found his way here. Entering the building quietly, so as to not disturb nightly classes, for it was about a half-hour past dusk. He finally reached the roof – and was not exactly prepared for what he had stumbled upon.

Naruto lay in a puddle of semen and blood, wrists bound above his head and his eyes closed. Semen was smeared onto his skin and the boy was completely naked, shivering slightly as the night winds began to pick up.

For a moment, all Sasuke could do was stare at his friend in shock – complete horror, actually. His black eyes were widened, and he seemed paralyzed to the spot that he had been standing at. Only after Naruto's eyes fluttered softly, slowly coming open did Sasuke rush to his side, his feet becoming unstuck.

The Uchiha tugged at the cloth that bound his roommate's wrists together. He didn't have to ask to know what happened. His mouth was set in a grim line and his eyes unreadable as he checked carefully for broken bones. The boy – not including the obvious wounds – appeared to be in perfect physical health.

Sasuke reached out and laid his hand gently on Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto's cerulean blue eyes snapped open, but he didn't move. He looked up at Sasuke and squinted slightly. His mind felt blank, raw, and abused – but his memories were blank… well… a lot of them were.

"Sasuke?" he asked softly, trying to sit up. Pain flared through his thighs and lower back, making him hiss with pain and wince. "Itai…"

"Naruto… are you okay?" Sasuke wanted to know.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, his eyes foggy… and blank. Yet it wasn't an emotional blank – it was just as though the feelings that normally covered the eye of someone was filled with holes, as though some parts of Naruto were missing.

"What do you mean, I've been searching all over for you!" Sasuke growled.

"Really?" Naruto wanted to know. "Do you have the book with you?"

Sasuke tilted his head to the side. Naruto was lying on the roof of the Art building, stark-naked, having just been raped, told he wasn't human and finding out his best friend had died and the blonde was talking to him about a _book_.

"What book?" the Uchiha inquired, brow furrowed.

Naruto looked up at him. "Remember?" he asked. "Yesterday you and I were reading our Mark Twain books behind the Library and you said that you would lend me _The Adventures of Tom Sawyer_."

Sasuke blinked, remembering the day after they had met – almost half a year before.

Naruto laughed – and Sasuke recognized the mask that the blonde had shed around him all that time before. "Sorry I was so rude yesterday, I just don't like to be disturbed when I'm reading – especially during the good parts."

"Y-yeah," Sasuke stammered, not knowing what else to say.

"Sasuke?" Naruto's voice was soft, making Sasuke look over at him from where he had been staring at nothing.

"Huh?"

"I'm tired… I'm going to sleep now," the blonde informed him. Naruto promptly curled up, despite the fact that he was naked, or that it was cold, and fell into a deep slumber. Sasuke found the boy's clothes, and with some difficulty – because he didn't want to hurt the boy, he redressed him.

Slowly, supporting Naruto behind the shoulders and under the knees, Sasuke walked down the tedious stairs that led to the entrance and then he went across the field to where Tsunade had her infirmary.

Sasuke was afraid of what had happened to the blonde.

_Maybe it was the last straw_, the boy thought. _Learning so much in so little time – it has to take its toll on people. Maybe Naruto just couldn't deal with it after whoever… whoever did this to him… did it. That's why his mind wiped itself clean. Yeah, I guess that makes sense._

_Kyuubi-chan's Corner:_

_For the full lemon scene, go to my profile. There is a link to it on there. Yeah… okay, now to answer reviews. Since I'm lazy, I'll only answer the ones that have questions in them. Whee. _

_Kin Uchiha, izumi, Paranoia-shoujo, SquirrelOfShadows, Anukis-san, Queen of Anime, sapphire: Yes, Kyubi died. I needed him to die. Naruto needed to have known what it was like to lose someone close to him. Not the greatest feeling in the world, believe me, I know. However, when Kyubi walked out of the hospital, intent on going into hiding, I didn't know what was to become of him. I couldn't pull him back into the fic, except a letter here and there – and that would have just interrupted the flow of the story. So it was either, have him not write – which is not upholding the integrity of the character – or having him die, which is what I chose in the end. Maybe I'm just sadistic, I don't know._

_KageKitsune16: I prefer to call Sasuke "high" instead of "observant" but whatever. Who would remember animals going through their trash? I wouldn't… I don't…whoosh._

_Meyme: See, I don't call myself "sama" because I don't believe myself to be above all the rest of the people in the word. Same infers that one is a master in something, or a person of higher standing, or a person one greatly admires. I do not believe myself to be any of those three. I am not a master in writing – or anything else – because my style changes as I find out more about myself. I am a normal sixteen-year-old girl who is a pervert as well, but still – that's kind of normal where I'm from. So I'm not above anyone. As for the third definition, I am not someone to be admired. I do as many stupid things as anyone else. I'm only human, after all – well, I won't get into this sentence, because I could rant for ages (as I've done before) and that's too tiresome for now. I call myself "kun" because I am a tomboy, therefore more boyish than girlish and it puts me on the same level as my readers and my colleagues (if that's what you want to call other writers). It may be fangirlish to become a Sama – but I despise the suffix sama when used with my name. After all, if I was to become a sama – I would be a master, and there would be nothing left to learn. Where's the adventure in that?_

_Renn: It is true that the two already kissed, but that was, if I remember correctly, during one of their breakdown stages, so it doesn't really count. That kiss was just a wild urge to be in contact with someone. They didn't want to be alone, and the closest human was each other. Neither have mentioned the kiss since it happened, so it can be assumed that they have pushed it out of their minds, for fear. Sasuke is just getting around to admitting how he really feels – but it will still be a while (especially after this chapter) before Naruto can do the same. _

_Now – the rant of why the fuck I did this chapter (like always). See, originally, I wasn't going to have any type of sexual abuse (except for the save of Sasuke's virginity) in this fic… and I still really don't know why I have it. Why am I telling you all this? Because I'm an honest writer. I want my readers to know how I think, and this is just the easiest way. If I tried to lie to you, knowing me, I would forget my lie or feel horrible about it. _

_Now, I do not, in any way, shape, or form, support rape, sexual assault, etc. but for some reason, it keeps reappearing in my fics (and to Naruto, no less… which actually makes me feel like a horrible person that doesn't deserve to write fanfiction). However, for points of plotline and such, I am allowing this to sneak past my usual defenses into the fic. It almost killed me to write out this scene – but sadly, I think it's the best lemon I've done so far. The other two (in chapters 1 and 4 of Smile Empty Soul on AFF) are basic repeats of each other, miniscule differences. This one was completely different – which I wonder where it comes from. It could be, I've been reading so many yaoi fics lately, that I'm beginning to copy them. _

_And yes, I have realized that I have yet to right a non-rape lemon – screw off, that's not a fact I'm proud of and it haunts me day and night, so I might have to finish the redoing of Smile, Empty Soul just so that I can have Sasuke and Naruto screw like happy bunnies at the end. ((shrugs)) _

_If you hate me for what I've put in this chapter, that's your right. I can't change it, nor do I want to. This chapter has meaning for later devices and ultimately brings everything closer together in the way this story is written. I am sorry if I have offended anyone, insulted anyone, etc. I do not mean to, or wish to, and thank you for reading thus far. _

_Review if you want to, don't if you don't. The only thing that I will ask you not to do is comment about what I've already explained in these paragraphs. It becomes redundant when that happens. I don't mind flames, nor do I mind beta reviews. I'm just happy that I get reviews at all. _


	20. You Are My Everything

**_Hello people, I'm back with Chapter Twenty! Holy shit! Twenty Chapters – this is my longest running fic… and the fic that's gotten the most reviews, so I'm all happy and fluffy. Well, everything's okay with me, in case you want to know – though I really want to beat the shit out of Sasuke, moreso now than ever. However, since the next chapter is entitled "END" by Kishimoto-sama, it means that I can finally start on "I Can't Be Born Again" so look for its update after Friday… hopefully… I dunno yet. Yeah, I'm a bit indecisive. _**

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**_I'm basically writing the chapters in school and then typing them up at home, so its gonna be kinda slow… hopefully not that slow. I really don't like to keep my readers waiting for so long – mainly cuz I don't like waiting for long for an update. _**

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**_Thanks for all the reviews! I'm pushing closer to three hundred! HUZZAH! Moving on… to the story!_**

**I Bleed Black**

**Chapter Twenty**

After dropping the still unconscious Naruto off at Tsunade's infirmary, telling her that he would be back later to answer all of her questions, Sasuke made his way quickly back to Jiraiya's office. He was relieved and unnerved to see that Jiraiya, Gaara and Neji were still there.

"Did you find Naruto?" Jiraiya asked immediately when he saw the Uchiha burst through the door without the hyperactive blonde.

Sasuke nodded, doubling over as he tried to get his breath back. His memory recalled the condition in which he had found Naruto and he felt a sob well up in his throat. Why did they do that to Naruto? Naruto should've fought back… but what if he couldn't? Tears welled up in his eyes, falling down his cheeks. He felt horrible. Was it his fault that Naruto got attacked – like it had been on so many other occasions? It was too much for one person to handle. Sasuke didn't know what to do. He didn't know what he _could_ do anymore.

What had happened to his friend was something that nobody – least of all a thirteen-year-old boy – should have to handle. It was all too much, too fast.

Shukaku had appeared.

The assassin had not only tried to kill Naruto, but had washed the still fresh blood of Kyubi onto his skin. She had hammered into his mind about how it was all his fault. But it wasn't Naruto's fault… Sasuke was sure of that. Unfortunately, Naruto couldn't see that.

Then Shukaku had revealed to Naruto that he carried three bloodlines instead of the normal two. He was a half-fox, half-human hybrid: an experiment of Akatsuki. He was told that he was the failure.

Then someone had either taken him up to the roof or had found Naruto up on the roof and… and had…

_Oh, God!_ Sasuke felt disgust and sickness overwhelm him. He put his hand over his mouth, trying to force the bile back down his throat. He squeezed his eyes shut, but that only enhanced the clarity of the scene he had witnessed only a short time before.

"Sasuke?" Jiraiya asked. After a moment, with much fighting inside himself, Sasuke got his emotions under control once again. He straightened, his face cold and expressionless, a complete contrast to what it had been only seconds before.

"Sasuke?" Jiraiya's voice once again cut into his mind.

"Hn?" the boy replied.

"Did you find Naruto?"

A moment of hesitation. "Yes."

"Where is he?"

"With Tsunade-sama," was the calm reply. Inside, Sasuke was bracing himself for what was to come next. Everything felt like a dream… it was unreal. These things just _didn't_ happen to normal people.

_Since when was Naruto normal?_ A snide voice in his head asked.

Sasuke didn't answer it. Instead, he stared steadily at the martial arts instructor. While he waited for Jiraiya to respond, he was bracing himself for the inevitable question.

"Why?" Jiraiya whispered. Had Naruto been beaten up? That didn't make any sense. The boy had extraordinary fighting techniques. He was a good martial artist. He was a fighter that Jiraiya would want at his back if he were a character out of a legend or manga. His dark eyes narrowed as he noticed Sasuke shifted uncomfortably, as though not wanting to discuss what happened. The movement was slight, so it was doubtable that either Gaara or Neji had noticed it.

"He was injured," Sasuke retorted angrily. "So I took him to the infirmary."

Jiraiya didn't stop glowering at the boy. "Gaara, Neji," he called without looking away. "Leave us."

Not wishing to contest the teacher when he was in this mood, the two obeyed, shutting the door behind them.

Jiraiya and Sasuke continued their scowling match for another moment until Jiraiya spoke.

"Tell me what happened, boy, or I'll feed you to Orochimaru myself," Jiraiya snarled.

Sasuke averted his eyes, bowing his head in shame. "Naruto was taken to Tsunade because…" Sasuke could feel his mind still holding onto the fantasy that all of this was a dream and that soon – very soon – he would wake up and everything would be okay. Still, he forced himself to continue what he had been saying. "Because he was raped."

Jiraiya's anger changed swiftly to shock. "W-_What?_" the man wanted to know. He wanted Sasuke to repeat himself – wanted to know if the boy was telling the truth.

Sasuke felt himself shaking as he clenched his fists. "He was raped," the Uchiha choked out, his voice at the point of breaking.

The dream had shattered.

Jiraiya's eyes were glazed in disbelief. "Tell Tsunade to send him to me once he has rested up – calmed down a bit, y'know?" the man was instructing Sasuke.

The Uchiha just shook his head from side to side. "I can't do that!" he blurted out without thinking too much.

"Why not?" was the response given to him.

"Because he doesn't remember anything! Everything that has happened for the last six months has been wiped from his memory. He doesn't know that we know of the Akatsuki. He doesn't know that Kyubi's dead or that Shukaku was here. He doesn't know that he's half-human. He doesn't know he was raped!" Sasuke was yelling, trying to hold in all of the emotions. He was trying, but even after years of practice, he somehow wasn't actually succeeding. Tears that he was normally able to keep inside of him were overflowing down his cheeks. The boy was glad that Jiraiya had told Gaara and Neji to leave, He didn't have to be so embarrassed tomorrow.

Jiraiya's eyes softened. "Sasuke?" he asked in a soothing tone. "Tell me – do you know who did it?"

Reluctantly, Sasuke shook his head. He had gotten there too late. It was too damn late to be sorry. He hadn't been able to help Naruto when the blonde had needed him the most.

Seeing the state that Sasuke was in – his eyes streaming tears that he was desperately trying hold back – Jiraiya almost smiled at him. The boy was trying to be strong, trying to hold all of it inside of him. He was determined not to break down entirely – at least not in front of someone else.

Sighing, Jiraiya put a hand on Sasuke's head. Sasuke looked up, his eyes betraying all of the pain he was feeling. Jiraiya's face held a kind smile on it. "Friendship doesn't mean being there to protect someone when something happens," the man said in a quiet voice. "Being a friend means you are able to be there to pick up the pieces that shattered when that something happened."

Sasuke stared at his martial arts instructor, silently absorbing the lesson. Jiraiya was right. He had to be a true friend to Naruto. He had to help the blonde regain his memories. He had to make Naruto happy again.

But with memories like the past few months, how was that possible? Was it really the best thing to bring back what the boy had lost? Would that make Naruto happy? What if he was better in this state?

Sasuke didn't know the answers to any of the questions running through his mind. He couldn't figure them out at all. Was the blonde really happy the way he was now?

"Jiraiya…?" Sasuke's voice almost startled the elder.

"Hmm?"

Sasuke hesitated, biting his lip. "Is it… is it really for the best to return Naruto's memories?" he wanted to know.

Jiraiya looked startled at the question, but allowed Sasuke to continue without interruption.

"I… I mean that nothing really good has happened in the past six months that maybe… maybe it would be better without him knowing what's been happening," Sasuke concluded, not daring to look up at the teacher.

Jiraiya thought about what the kid was saying. Sasuke was right, in his own ways. "All right, I understand, but I'm thinking that maybe – we should tell him an abridged version," Jiraiya said.

"Huh?"

"There are some things he needs to know – that he's not human, that he was raped, that Kitsune-kun is dead." Sasuke nodded. "But there are others which might be bad to bring up."

Again, the Uchiha nodded. He began to walk to the door, having gotten himself completely under control.

"Thank you, Jiraiya," he whispered before he left, softly shutting the door behind him.

Sasuke made his way to the infirmary. He was fading in and out of his thoughts, but he overheard something that made his blood boil with anger.

"Did you see the way he screamed?"

"I especially liked it when I got a turn with him."

"He really is the perfect fucktoy, isn't he?"

"Yeah – I want another go at that fucking brat."

Laugh. "So do I, but we have to wait for the Boss's orders. You know that the Boss took a liking to little Naru-chan, right?"

Snicker. "Of course, I just hope he lets me stick my dick in that kid's ass again… damn it felt _good_."

Sasuke froze. He didn't know who was speaking, but he know _what_ they were speaking about and it pissed him off… greatly. His fists clenched. He spun, trying to catch who the speakers were, but they had disappeared.

Growling incoherently to himself, Sasuke began to walk towards the infirmary again. He reached his destination about five minutes later.

Tsunade met him with an angry look on her face. "Good, you're back – now you get to handle my interrogation," she said with a maniacal smile on her face. Sasuke shivered lightly. Couldn't she just call Jiraiya for the information or something? Two times in one day would really put a strain on his control level.

"Fine," he dimly heard himself say.

"Who?" Tsunade asked, eyes boring into his. Sasuke didn't let the feeling of hopelessness wash over him, holding it back.

"I don't know – I haven't been able to find out yet," Sasuke said in a flat, but tired, voice. "I found him after they left."

Tsunade nodded, as though expecting this. Sasuke turned to leave, when Tsunade called him over to her. He turned, eyes asking what more she wanted.

"What is Naruto to you?" was the unexpected question.

"What?" Sasuke asked.

"It's not that hard of a question, Uchiha – just answer it."

Sasuke was silent for a few moments. What was Naruto to him? Naruto was his sunshine – Naruto was the only person who had managed to reach his heart. The boy had been the only one to break through the darkness and show him that miracles do happen. The boy had entrusted him with his deepest secret and in turn, Sasuke had told him his. Naruto was his confident, friend, love, brother, teammate, classmate, and family – all mixed into one.

He was the boy that Sasuke knew would never stop being in his life. He was the person who would never stop smiling, crying, yelling, getting angry.

He smiled softly as he turned to leave. He walked to the door and before he left, he told her in a whisper, "Naruto is my Everything."

With that, the Uchiha had left, heading back to the dormroom he invaded long ago. He sat on his bed, eyes roaming the room until his gaze rested on the sketchbook. He opened it and drew a picture of the two, sitting on the grass, just reading their Mark Twain novels. When he was finished with the shading, his mind turned to the poem he was beginning to compose next to it.

_You don't remember me_

_That's okay, because I know you_

_I have seen you laughed_

_And I laughed with you_

_I have seen you cry_

_And I cried with you_

_I've seen you lonely_

_And I held out my hand_

_I've seen you angry_

_And I smirked at you_

_I've seen you asleep_

_And I watched over you_

_I've seen you scream_

_And I waited for you to stop_

_I've seen you in the distance_

_And I'm waiting for you to come_

_Though you may only think of me_

_As a friend – someone everyone should know_

_You were the only one to see the real me_

_Not the face or name that I bear_

_A burden that I wish I didn't have_

_You saw the person I've become_

_You saw the child hidden inside_

_You've been there with me_

_Through good times and bad_

_Together we've cried_

_Together we've laughed_

_Together we've been bored_

_Together we've been alone_

_Together – such a word_

_Brings joy with each saying_

_Together… but all is naught_

_For unlike me, you have forgotten_

_These memories I hold dear_

_The past can repeat itself_

_The future can become nothingness_

_I care not for either – or anything_

_I only care for you_

_And one day, I'll find the courage to say_

_That you are my Everything_

Sasuke stared at the words, proud of them. He liked that he and Naruto – even though it was the old Naruto – were sharing this book. This book, he would keep with him forever, if only as a souvenir of an unforgotten friendship.

Titling it "You Are My Everything" Sasuke felt tears in his eyes. He hurriedly wiped them away. He didn't need to cry. Everything was okay.

After all – love wasn't all romance and such.

There was such a thing as unrequited love.

And Sasuke, at the moment, knew what it felt like.

It wasn't good.

_But that's not what love's about_, he reasoned with himself as he lay back on his pillow. _Love is about seeing the one you love happy. It doesn't matter that it makes you miserable – as long as they are happy, then you can be happy too. Isn't that what everyone says? Love isn't like everyone says. It's not easy… and it makes your heart hurt. Love… why… why can't Naruto love me? Why did all of this happen?_

Sasuke shook his head, turning on his side. As he looked at the clock, he realized that it was almost 11 pm. Shaking his head, he burrowed himself under the covers. He didn't want to think, didn't want to feel, didn't want to do anything but shut his eyes and go off to La La Land, where nothing would ever bother him.

So Sasuke finally found sleep.

And he dreamed of everything he had – especially of his Everything.

**_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_**

**_Paranoia-shoujo: Thank you for your review. It made me feel a lot better about the turn of events I chose. As for whether Gaara and Naruto will get closer – well, only time can tell, neh?_**

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**_Kidie,Vanessa,Rei_****_ and Kai:Whee, you mean IBB is on your website? I so did not know that -.- Anyways, I love your review. I'm sorry I made it so sad… it wasn't me… wait, it was – but that doesn't matter! I feel horrible about it anyway._**

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**_Ookima_****_: wow, you actually have me blushing. Thank you so much for your support. I don't think I got any flames, but I'm not sure – I really can't spot flames unless they spell it out for me. Sasuke's working on making everything all better, neh? But that's what he does. I actually liked the way he acted in this chapter – especially with Tsunade… the other parts are weird… but the part with Tsunade I really liked. I hope you do too. Thanks for being a faithful supporter! _**

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**_Ghostninja85: The entire part about Naruto not fighting back will be explained, hopefully, in the next chapter – but I'm not sure. See, I don't really plan ahead – I just write. Sometimes, that's a good thing, other times, not so. However, I'll give you a hint. The fact that Naruto is unable to fight back has something to do with two things. Fear and Akatsuki. See if you can figure it out. _**

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**_Dark Mimiru-chan: Here's your update – hot from the typing, so I hope you enjoy._**

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**_Sonic16: But if I didn't stop there, then there would be no fun cliffhanger for me to laugh about and then get hit for… wheee… here's your update._**

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**_KageKitsune16: Exactly. Naruto is Sasuke's, and vice versa. ((shrugs)) I'm a rabid NaruSasuNaru fangirl, but well… I'm an even more rabid angst fan. Sorry for the craploads of angst… I just like writing it for some strange reason. And yes, Orochimaru is sick – we all know that… mainly because of that damn tongue of his ((shudders))_**

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**_Toki Mirage: Yeah, I know… don't know why though. Maybe I'm a sado-masochist… haven't exactly figured that much out right now. Anyways, I'd say that is the shortest review you've ever written._**

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**_Kin Uchiha: Well, if you wait for inspiration to hit me – you'll get to see them screw like happy little bunnies and yeah… fun shit like that will happen. _**

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**_Queen of Anime: Naruto… might remember some of it… when I get around to actually having Naruto's point of view again. That will probably be in the next chapter or so. Bah… Orochimaru shouldn't have done that… but… it ultimately helps make this fic a helluva lot easier to write, so yeah…_**

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**_Yaoilover_****_ S: Thanks for the compliment. And don't be so hard on yourself. Everyone starts somewhere – then they expand. My first Naruto fic didn't get any more than 7 reviews, so yeah… and it was a one-shot… T.T_**

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**_Heero2001: Really? I thought the last chapter wasn't as good as some of the others, but then again, the writer is her hardest critic, so yeah…_**

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**_Cursed-Mind: Oh… there will be a lemon… hopefully a good one, sometime in the future. I kinda wanted to make them older, though… cuz… they're both thirteen right now, and yeah… it might take a while, but they WILL screw when their near their fifteenth birthdays… so they'll be fourteen… but they WILL have happy bunny sex and all that jazz. I'm glad you like my fanfiction. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. _**

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**_Thank you everyone! I can't wait to read your reviews and all that. Welp, off to do some other stuff. _**

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**_-Kyuubi-kun-_**


	21. One Winged Angel

**_Bah… I'm lazy… so no rants from me…_**

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**I Bleed Black**

**Chapter Twenty-One**

Sasuke woke up as the sun shone through the open window, alighting on his face. He blinked once, cursing the chilly air that floated in the window. He grumbled softly to himself as he sat up in his bed. He sleepily rubbed his hair, yawning.

To his surprise, Sasuke heard another yawn echo his own. The Uchiha's eyes flew to where the sound had come from. Stretching and muttering curses on the other twin bed was none other than the blonde dobe, Uzumaki Naruto.

"Naruto?" Sasuke nearly yelped in surprise.

The smaller teen stopped stretching at the sound of someone else in the room. "Kyubi?" he called sleepily, which made Sasuke wince, before he got a good look at who was actually in the other bed. "S-Sasuke?"

"Naruto – what the fuck are you doing?" Sasuke growled, throwing his blankets off him.

"Waking up," was the mumbled retort.

"I meant, what are you doing _here_?" Sasuke snapped. "You should be at the infirmary."

Naruto shrugged. He pulled off his blankets and winced as he swung his legs around.

"Itai," he hissed. "Neh, Sasuke?"

"Hn?" Sasuke asked as he began pulling out plates and things for breakfast.

"Why does my back hurt?" Naruto asked softly, red growing in his cheeks as he looked down at his hands.

Sasuke flinched, dropped the plate onto the tiled kitchen floor. It shattered on impact.

"Sasuke?" Naruto whimpered suddenly.

Sasuke walked over to the blonde, trying to act like the stoic guy he had been before. Sasuke didn't want to scare Naruto with his "new and improved" personality. Naruto was staring at his sheets, one hand spotted with red blood. Sasuke stared at his friend. The boy's bed was soaked in his own blood – most likely from the wounds reopening, Sasuke guessed.

"Sasuke? Why am I bleeding? Why does it hurt so much?" Naruto asked fearfully, his eyes wide as he stared at the Uchiha. "Why is it so cold? It's spring… spring's not this cold."

Sasuke shook his head. "Sorry Naruto, it's September the twenty-fourth, actually," he murmured. "Naruto… there's some other stuff I need to talk with you about and none of it is good news."

Naruto looked up at Sasuke, shivering. Six months? It was six months that had vanished from his memory. He didn't even have the faintest idea of what had transpired during those days. The blonde chewed at his bottom lip, bracing himself for the explanation that Sasuke was trying to work up the nerve to say.

"Naruto," Sasuke began, his voice soft – kind, almost. "You… you aren't really who you think you are. According to Shukaku-"

"Sh-Shukaku?" Naruto yelped, startled by hearing the name that he had feared for many years.

Sasuke nodded. "She came here while you and a boy named Sabuka Gaara were fighting during martial arts class." He paused, gauging the other boy's reaction to his statement. When Naruto kept staring at the Uchiha with no verbal response, Sasuke continued. "Shukaku told you that you weren't fully normal."

Naruto snorted, almost with laughter. Of course he wasn't normal! Sasuke nearly smacked himself for saying something that stupid.

Sasuke calmed his jumping nerves down. Naruto needed to know what had happened to him – he deserved the truth above everything else. People say that the true could set you free. Sasuke knew they were all liars.

"I'm not the person who should be telling you this, but you need to know," Sasuke murmured, his voice low, thick with emotion. Naruto turned his curious, yet pained blue eyes to Sasuke's black gaze.

"What do you mean?" the blonde's shaking voice wanted to know.

Sasuke sighed and plowed right ahead. "Shukaku told us that you were an experiment of Akatsuki." Naruto gasped faintly at the name. "She also told you that she killed… killed… Kyubi-sama."

"K-Kyubi's dead?" Naruto rasped. That couldn't be right. Despite the pain that shot through him with each small movement, Naruto curled up. Sobs wracked his shoulders as he felt the loss of his friend. He didn't want to believe it, but he had already lost so many memories and he wanted to hold onto the rest of them. His tears dried as he lifted his head.

"Yeah… he died," Sasuke whispered.

Something else that Sasuke had said clicked inside his head. Experiment? What did the boy mean? Naruto voiced his thoughts to the Uchiha, never letting his gaze wander from Sasuke's.

"You were part of a line of DNA experiments. Your DNA was somehow infused with the DNA of a fox, like Kyubi-sama's was. Gaara has a raccoon in him. Unlike Kyubi, you can't completely become a fox, but you can let it take over your conscious."

Naruto nodded, all the while thinking, _So__ that explains that voice in my head. Fucking fox. Fucking Akatsuki!_

In a slow voice, Naruto asked, "Is there anything else that I need to know?" His eyes were emotionless as Sasuke hung his head in shame.

"What is it?" the curious blonde wanted to know.

Sasuke looked at the floor, not knowing what to do. The image of Naruto, bound and naked in a puddle of semen and blood, both substances smeared on his skin, flashed before the Uchiha's eyes. He didn't like it – he wanted to make everything just disappear – but that couldn't happen. And, as Jiraiya had said, these were the things that the boy needed to know. Naruto deserved to know what had happened to him.

When Sasuke finally broke the awkward silence in the room, he found himself stuttering. "I-I don't k-know who d-did it, b-but someone… or someones… t-they raped you."

Naruto's eyes nearly popper out of their sockets. "W-What?" he whispered, frantic. "W-when?"

"Yesterday," Sasuke told the boy in a very quiet voice. The Uchiha buried his head in his hands. He knew that what he was feeling was nothing in comparison to what Naruto felt right now, but he still blamed himself for not being there. It was a horrible emotion, but it consumed the boy.

Naruto's mind stirred with the remnants of a dream that had woken him up when he was in the infirmary. Now he was wondering if that really was a dream – or if it had been real. He shivered at the thought of it, feeling vomit rise in his throat as it had done when he was at Tsunade's office. In search of comfort, Naruto had gone to his only sanctuary – his dormroom. He thought he was coming back to Kyubi – back to a place where he could relax without constantly glancing over his shoulder.

That's what he thought he was coming home to. The reality of the situation was so much worse. Kyuubi was gone. Sasuke was here.

Sasuke?

Why was _Uchiha Sasuke_ here of all people?

Naruto would sooner expect Shukaku to show up in his dormroom than Sasuke. The blonde glanced at the boy in front of him.

Sasuke's fingers were weaving through his hair – a frustrated and frightened gesture. The boy was rocking back and forth, mouthing something that Naruto couldn't make out. Everything seemed so surreal that Naruto wondered if he were back in Dreamland.

Suddenly – visions, scenes from his lost past began to bombard him.

_He couldn't move his arms, for someone was holding onto his wrists. Cloth was roughly shoved into his mouth, another piece of the shirt wrapped around his head. Tears leaked slowly down his whiskered cheeks. He couldn't stop them. He felt weak – he couldn't fight back. He couldn't do anything. He couldn't move – his body had shut down. He couldn't even struggle. He didn't know who was screwing him right now. _

_ A hand lifted up and caressed his cheek. One of Orochimaru's minions was inside him, stroking his face. _

_ "There, there, kitten, you're the perfect fuck, so don't think about doing anything stupid," the man was saying. Naruto couldn't even shudder. He wished for blackness – for anything to come back to him. He wished that he was dead… or worse then dead. He wanted to be anywhere but here. _

_ He didn't mind getting beat up… it was an everyday thing – but this… this was so much more humiliating and wrong. It wasn't right. It couldn't be. _

_ After everyone on the roof had taken a turn with him, Orochimaru had shoved down on Naruto's shoulders. The boy's heartbeat quickened. Orochimaru grinned as he saw the look of fear in those sky-blue eyes. _

_ "Don't worry, Naru-chan," Orochimaru murmured in his ear as he shoved himself into the blonde. Naruto tried to scream as loud as he could, but his throat was raw from what felt like hours of yelling, though it had only been at most one hour. He felt bile rise in his throat but he managed to choke it down. The wad of cloth in his mouth would prevent him from spilling the vomit out anyway. _

_ Tears were flowing down his cheeks. "Now, Naru-chan, you better get used to this treatment – because we will continue it until we break you, and then you'll be given to our Boss," Orochimaru whispered as he kept his member inside the boy. "That's your fate, boy, and you can't escape from it."_

"Naruto?" someone was yelling, pulling the blonde back into his senses. He blinked, looking up into the worried onyx eyes of Sasuke.

"Huh?" he asked. "What happened?"

"You blacked out… are you all right?" Sasuke asked, worry and concern in his voice.

"Why would you care?" Naruto snapped without meaning to. His memory returning (slightly) had given him a large headache and he wasn't in the best of moods to begin with, as it were.

If Naruto wasn't mistaken, he saw hurt in the boy's black eyes. Sasuke backed off.

"I-I'm sorry," the Uchiha murmured. "I keep forgetting that you don't remember…"

"Remember what?" Naruto prodded, looking at the other.

Sasuke looked at him seriously. The Uchiha sat down against the wall, knees bent and elbows resting lightly on his knees. In a soft voice, he said, "You saved me. You taught me how to live life. You showed me a new way of living… a way that I've come to love. You told me what had happened in your life, and I told you what's happened in mine. I've been bunking in this room for about three weeks or maybe longer." There was a half-grin at this statement. "I don't know… but I feel like I've been born again ever since I met you." He sighed. "One of Orochimaru's men… they tried to… to rape me, but you came in and you kicked the shit out of him. And then you went to the hospital for a while. But… I don't understand." Sasuke looked up at the blonde. "How come you could save me… but you couldn't save yourself?"

Naruto stared at him, then gave a soft laugh. He leaned back against the wall, putting a pillow behind his head.

"It's… hard to explain…" Naruto told the boy. He felt as though he should tell Sasuke what he was about to say, though he didn't really have a clue as to why. He shrugged mentally and decided that he would just trust his gut for now.

"Until I was about three years old… I was in the care of a member of Akatsuki. Everyday, she would feed me these strange pills. I learned from Kyubi… about a year ago… what they were for," he explained. "Those pills released chemicals into my bloodstream and nervous system. The chemicals only react to another compound that all Akatsuki members have on their bodies in the form of a tattoo. These chemicals make my nerves stop – my muscles paralyze, whenever the members of Akatsuki activate them."

Sasuke looked at him, eyes narrowed slightly as though he were trying to figure out the greater mystery to all of it.

Naruto laughed when he saw this, and despite the blank spaces that still filled the boy's eyes, Sasuke felt as though Naruto was back – the real one that he had been a mere week before.

"It's another type of control… and that's what Akatsuki is all about – to control the masses," the blonde said in a dead voice. "It gives ultimate control of my body to whoever bears one of the tattoos."

Sasuke stared at the boy, now disbelief showed in his eyes. He couldn't believe that Akatsuki could be that scientifically advance, though he recognized the symptoms of what Naruto was talking about.

His eyes widened and a soft gasp escaped his lips as he remembered why that particular drug seemed so familiar to him.

It was the same drug that his father had made Itachi help create for the last step to get into the Bureau of Science.

He was distracted by Naruto, who seemed to have healed slightly, limping around the room, muttering to himself.

"What are you looking for?" Sasuke wanted to know.

"My sketchbook, have you seen it?" was the blonde's reply.

Sasuke looked at him in surprise. His mind went through so many scenarios about how he could return the sketchbook – and have Naruto find out how he felt. That wouldn't be too good, would it? Nope, he thought to himself.

"No," he lied softly.

"Okay," the blonde replied, believing the Uchiha. Sasuke, hit by sudden inspiration, grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and began to scrawl down words.

_Lost in the woods_

_Fallen out of grace_

_I dropped from the skies_

_A One-Winged Angel_

_But you managed to pick up the pieces_

_Of my broken heart_

_You managed to make me smile_

_Swearing we wouldn't be torn apart_

_How could you smile like that?_

_When you just wanted to cry_

_How could you laugh out loud?_

_When you just wanted to frown_

_Is it something that only I have seen?_

_A softer, silent side of you_

_Is it something that angels sing of_

_When they fly across the sky so blue_

_I used to be an angel_

_But someone took my wing_

_It ripped from my shoulder_

_The blood splattered across the skies_

_It made the sunset red_

_It made my tears of rain_

_Now I'm silent, tripping along_

_Lost in the woods_

_Fallen out of grace_

_I've dropped from the skies_

_A One-Winged Angel_

Sasuke grumbled. He didn't like the way it sounded. Instead, he balled the paper up and chucked it across the room, trying to get it into the wastebasket. Instead, he managed to hit it onto Naruto's desk (which was where the boy was sitting).

Sasuke's eyes widened in horror. _Don't read it, please don't read it_, he pleaded to himself and to anyone "Up There" who bothered to listen.

Naruto, curious, took the balled piece of paper and opened it up, his eyes scanning the lines that were written there. He didn't say anything, but a small smile graced his whiskered face.

A Fox Demon and a One-Winged Angel.

Kyubi would have found this very amusing.

**_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_**

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**_To clear up a little matter._****_ Naruto was gangraped, by all eight people who were on the roof. And yeah, this chapter might have been a little descriptive, but who the fuck cares? Not I! And if you do care… I don't care to hear about it! MWA_**

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**_Yes, I'm on a weird high right now… I worked for an hour in a darkroom. Those chemicals, man… WHOOSH!_**

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**_Whoo_****_! Naruto faints… in the middle of thinking. It isn't fun, I've had it done – bad bad Kyu-kun. And Sasuke's metaphor is now One-Winged Angel (stolen with love from FF VII's Sephiroth…)_**


	22. I'm Just Selfish

**_Guess what? I'm bored, so here's something for all of you. Love! Peace! Anarchy! (none of which are actually happening) and a New Chapter (which is happening)_**

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**_Aren't you lucky?_**

**I Bleed Black**

**Chapter 22**

Through the next week, Naruto's memory had steadily improved. Recalling some of his childhood moments, the blonde realized that whenever he got into trouble, his mind would automatically block out his memories. However, this was the first time that he had "forgotten" anything from the period of time. Usually, he didn't remember a few minor things from the past week or so before his accident or whatever.

But six months? That was almost… like an eternity. Naruto shook his head as he made his way to the kitchen area of the dormroom. Uzumaki Naruto had yet to step outside of his room since he had been raped. Tsunade had come by every other day whilst Sasuke was away at classes. She stayed for a random amount of time, talking with him and checking up on his wounds and how he felt emotionally. For the most part, Naruto enjoyed these visits.

Since Sasuke had said he had to attend classes, Naruto was left at the dormroom, alone and afraid of the outside world, trying to catch up to his lost memories. He couldn't remember much about Sasuke, which scared the blonde, considering how he was currently living with the Uchiha.

It made Naruto feel really uncomfortably. The Uchiha, picking up on this, found himself avoiding the blonde. Every time he got close to the blonde, the other would squeak and jump behind the nearest object. Sasuke found these antics slightly irritating and extremely painful. He loved the Uzumaki. He always wanted to be with the blonde boy. Sasuke didn't want to lose him, even though he knew that Naruto was technically not his to begin with. He felt lost and a little lonely whenever he thought about that.

The dark-haired boy was just reaching a decision as he approached the door to Naruto's and his room. He opened the door and walked inside. A flash of gold brushed past him, hiding itself on the other side of the table.

Sasuke sighed, dropped his bag. He looked directly into Naruto's eyes, ignoring the queasiness he felt in his stomach.

"What… what is it?" Naruto's soft, timid voice asked.

Sasuke could feel his shoulders shake slightly. This was not his decision – this was completely up to Naruto.

"Do you really want me here?" Sasuke heard his voice ask. His hands were squeezed together, knuckles white from lack of circulation. He didn't say anything else, knowing that if he did, it would be disrespectful to his friend.

The whisper that came next nearly shattered Sasuke.

"No," was the very quiet reply that Sasuke could barely here over the echo of his own heart breaking. A look of pain and betrayal stayed on his face for a moment before the Uchiha was finally able to get himself under control. He stood up, almost complete numb and nodded.

"All right," Sasuke told Naruto thickly. He wouldn't cry – he had promised himself that. "I'll pack up my stuff and leave tonight."

Sasuke dragged himself around the apartment-like dormroom, looking around for his things. He didn't want to leave – but it was better this way. It was pointless trying to struggle through their problems together. That sounded like complete bullshit, even to his ears. Sasuke felt tears well up. As he walked around, packing things into the dark blue duffel bag that he had had for years, a memory came unbidden to the boy's mind.

_ It was one of those lazy days off that students were given every once in a while. Sasuke and Naruto were laying on the rooftop of the Arts Building, having successfully escaped both Sasuke's fangirls and Orochimaru's gang members. Both boys were winded, their chests rising up and down semi-rapidly. Sasuke didn't know how long they had lain there, recovering from their run. The moment of rest ended as soon as the clouds above started to cry. _

_ Naruto squinted before leaping to his feet. He pulled Sasuke up and began to swing around with the other boy. _

_ "Dance between the raindrops!" the blonde sang out happily. Sasuke found himself smiling back at his dobe as the two circled, their feet making loud splashes whenever they hit the rapidly growing puddles. _

_ An hour later, Sasuke finally grumbled about how bother of them would get really bad colds if they stayed out any longer. Naruto pouted at this, so Sasuke offered to pay for ramen at Ichiraku's on the way back. Sasuke had never been to the place, to tell the truth, but Naruto never really shut up about it either. Naruto glomped the slightly-older boy, sending them both tumbling to the floor. _

_ Naruto gave a startled yelp as he felt arms encircle his waist a moment later. He looked around for Sasuke, only to find that it was the brunette that was pulling him up. Blushing, the blonde let the Uchiha help him to his feet. The two set off for the ramen shop with the aura of important companionship._

_ When they reached Ichiraku's, the rain still hadn't let up. Not caring about that, the two entered the warm restaurant and took seats at the bar near the cook. The old man grinned when he saw them. _

_ "Ah, Naru-chan," he greeted. "It's been a while since you've been here, I've missed your antics." He tousled the blonde's hair affectionately then noticed Sasuke staring at him. "Oh, you brought a friend, eh, Naru-chan?" _

_ Naruto nodded meekly. "Yeah, Jii-chan," the blonde spoke up. "This is Uchiha Sasuke."_

_ "Sasuke-kun, welcome to Ichiraku's," the old man told the brunette. He grinned at the Uchiha's slight puzzlement. "I'm the owner of this place. You can call me Jii-chan."_

_ Sasuke nodded, preferring not to speak. _

_ Jii-chan turned to Naruto. "Bit of a quiet one, isn't he?" the old man asked the Uzumaki. Naruto snickered. Sasuke glared at them. The old man chuckled and ruffled the stoic boy's hair. _

_ "Smile more often, Sasuke-kun – you'll see the whole world in a completely different light." Sasuke stared at him. The man laughed once more. "So, boys, what'll it be?"_

_ "I'll have a beef ramen!" Naruto yelled out. _

_ "Miso," was Sasuke's short answer. _

_ A few minutes later, the old man set the bowls in front of the two, and said goodbye before leaving to serve some other customers. He kept an eye on them, but didn't interrupt them again. _

_ Naruto and Sasuke ate in a nice silence, broken only by the slurping of the two. After three more bowls like the, Naruto sat back, patting his stomach with a goofy grin on his face. _

_ "That was good ramen," he said. Sasuke nodded in agreement. He smiled at the other boy, seeing how happy he looked with a full stomach. _

_ "Sasuke?" came the boy's voice. Sasuke grunted out something incoherent. "You're my best friend." Naruto smiled a non-fox grin. "We should stay friends forever. You'll be by my side… won't you?" _

_ It took Sasuke a moment to realize the boy spoke in an innocent friendship-only way, instead of the way that Sasuke wanted it. He gave the blonde a true, genuine smile. _

_ "Dobe," he said, poking Naruto's cheek with the end of his chopsticks. "I'll stay as long as you want me there."_

_ Naruto looked very relieved. He grinned in his only-Naruto-can-grin-like-this way. It made Sasuke almost laugh, but he managed to keep it inside of himself. _

_ "Then you'll stay forever and ever!" Naruto told him, blushing slightly. "'Cause I won't ever want you to go away."_

_ All Sasuke could think about as they walked home through the driving rain was how his chest felt really warm. _

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the memory. _Won't ever want me to go away, huh?_ Sasuke thought to himself as he shoved some pants into his duffel bag. He shook his head. Although Naruto had regained several of his memories, he still had yet to recover anything about Sasuke.

It hurt. Sasuke knew that the pain would only increase if they were about, but Naruto had said that he didn't want to Uchiha with him.

That was fine, Sasuke tried to convince himself. Maybe it was better this way. Maybe it was safer. After all, it wasn't like Sasuke was leaving the blonde all alone. Naruto had Tsunade checking up on him every few days and there was also Jiraiya who dropped by once in a while.

These were mental hurtles that Sasuke could not help Naruto clear. The boy who had saved Sasuke from everything was unable to let Sasuke save him.

After only about twenty to thirty minutes, Sasuke was completely packed. Naruto was still in his "hiding" place, staring at Sasuke over the table. Sasuke walked to the door and shouldered his bookbag.

The Uchiha turned to the blonde for the first time since their conversation. He smiled, trying to be brave. He could cry later. He could kick himself later. He hadn't been a good friend to the blonde.

Jiraiya's words flew through his mind as Sasuke tried to solve the riddle of what his last words to Naruto would be.

_Friendship doesn't mean being there to protect someone when something happens. Being a friend means that you are able to be there to pick up the pieces that shattered when that something happened._

Sasuke smiled sadly in his head. _Guess I haven't been a friend to you, Naruto. I wasn't able to help you pick up the pieces. I wasn't able to help you be free. _

The Uchiha looked at Naruto, staring directly into the boy's eyes. He felt complete numb, but it wasn't enough to shut out the pain that was slowly creeping in his chest. Yet there was nothing he could do. He didn't deserve to be called Naruto's friend. He didn't deserve to live here. He didn't know how he had kept the brave smile on his features as he memorized every inch of this home he had.

"Guess this is everything," he said. Sasuke's voice was strained from keeping in so many emotions at once.

Naruto only nodded at him, not daring to speak.

"Goodbye, Naruto," Sasuke continued, as though he was trying to keep himself smiling or indifferent just so that the pain in his heart wouldn't overtake. Just so that he wouldn't fall to his knees and beg Naruto to let him stay. Sasuke couldn't do that. Naruto deserved, above all else, to be happy. If he was happier without Sasuke beside him, than the Uchiha would step back. He would watch from afar.

Naruto didn't answer him. Squaring his shoulders, Sasuke gave a small wave before walking out of the room and closing the door behind him.

The soft click that showed the door was closed echoed through the silent room.

As soon as he was sure that Sasuke was gone, Naruto moved. He quietly shuffled over to his computer and opened up a new Microsoft Word document. Without thinking, he began to type.

_I didn't want you to go_

_But I don't know why I feel_

_That you should stay_

_I don't know your face_

_I don't know your voice_

_I don't know your hobbies_

_I don't know your habits_

_I don't know what you hate_

_I don't know what you love_

_I don't know anything about you_

_Except for a little bit_

_You would always make sure I ate_

_You would always make sure I slept_

_You would always make sure I was comfortable_

_You sacrificed yourself for me_

_I'm just selfish_

_Just because I can't remember you,_

_Does that mean you had to go?_

_Just because I said I want you gone_

_Does it mean that it should be so?_

_You left for my sake – I saw the pain_

_I saw the hurt, the betrayal and the tears_

_That you would not let to fall_

_In a way, I think I saw the softer side_

_Of your soul_

_The one that you hide deep inside_

_Underneath the masks we hide_

_Underneath the smiles and smirks_

_Underneath our habits and quirks_

_We are the same_

_But I cannot ask you back_

_You don't deserve to be here with me_

_You don't deserve to be ignored_

_It's not your fault that I am broken_

_Like a china doll, shattered on the ground_

_You don't have to pick up the pieces_

_You can just walk away_

_I forced you away_

_You tried to pick up my pieces_

_And I cut you with the sharp edge of one_

_Does this mean this is the end?_

_Is there nothing else to see?_

_An adventure is gone – lost in the quest_

_Will there be a time that we are free?_

_I'm just selfish_

_I drove you away_

_And I'm sorry_

Naruto finished typing, tears flooding down his face. Even though he only had a week worth of memories of the other boy, they made him feel warm inside. They made him feel like he was wanted… but he was too afraid. He didn't want Sasuke to get hurt because of him.

But Naruto couldn't apologize either.

If he apologized, he would just put Sasuke in danger. So he couldn't do anything. He would avoid Sasuke. Besides, a little peace and quiet never hurt anyone!

Little did Naruto know how much the silence and quiet were going to affect him.

**_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_**

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**_This is why I love classes that I don't give a shit about – I can write… to my hearts content. Or sleep… or both… at the SAME TIME! MWA HAA HAA! _**

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**_Moving on._****_ I'm going to sleep now, so Bye Bye… here's the next chapter though_**


	23. Look Into the Mirror

_Here I am with another chapter. You don't know how happy I am right now, as I sit here and write this. Probably because it might be depressing. I don't know. But I'm working on redeeming the friendship between Sasuke and Naruto, so please don't kill me yet. _

_Also, I want to thank Anukis-san, for my 300th review. You get cookies. Love ya, and EVERYONE ELSE TOO. Especially those that have been with this fic since the beginning. To have you guys still reading it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Thanks!_

**I Bleed Black**

**Chapter 23**

It was a little over a week and a half after Sasuke had moved back in with Shikamaru that the Uchiha saw Naruto for the first time. It was something he had been dreading – something he wanted to prepare himself for, but this was too soon.

_ Dammit_, Sasuke thought as he saw his blonde obsession step into Iruka's class. It was still fifteen minutes before the class started. Not even Iruka-sensei was here yet.

As soon as Naruto saw who the only other person was in the class, he froze. His eyes were wide, but still sadly blank. Sasuke fought the conflicting emotions inside of him. He stared at Naruto, trying to ignore the warm feeling that was in his chest. HE frowned, digging into his bookbag. Pulling out his _own_ sketchbook for once, he decided to review his old works.

There were several pictures inside of the navy blue sketchbook that Sasuke had not seen for six or seven months. He saw some of his unfinished landscapes as he flipped. Finally, he just got fed up and started on page one of the book.

The first drawing was labeled "Aniki." It showed Uchiha Itachi with a little Sasuke on the older's back. The image was hazy, with a black background and a royal blue silhouette of himself, when he was a little older. The small sketch of him and Itachi was directly over the silhouette's heart. He treasured this picture, but he had never shown it to anyone before – not even Naruto had seen this picture. He laughed in his mind at how different he was before Naruto. Back then, his mind had been preoccupied with survival and Itachi. He wanted to avenge his brother. That was one of the reasons he had trained in karate.

The Uchiha Sasuke of now was centered on his personal sunshine. Naruto had that _glow_ about him that no one could ever deter. He was usually ever smiling, perky and naïve. Even though Sasuke knew that these emotions were mostly just a mask, he still found himself drawn to Naruto's light. It was a drug, the aura that Naruto projected. Sasuke was hopelessly addicted to it. He didn't know he loved Naruto so much, but he knew that his self-portrait had changed.

No more would it be an empty silhouette, the only thoughts inside his older brother's kindness. Now it was… well, Sasuke didn't exactly know what it was, but he already figured the _feel_ of it – _colors_ it would have.

The scraping of a chair against the floor brought Sasuke out of his reverie. Out of the corner of his eye, the Uchiha saw Naruto sitting down, looking slightly dejected. The boy's untidy blonde hair slumped in front of his eyes. He didn't seem to want to be here, Sasuke noted with a wry smile that he kept on the inside.

Living with Shikamaru had brought the Uchiha back to his old self on the outside. They didn't really talk. When Sasuke moved back in, Shikamaru didn't even ask where he had been. Instead, the bored boy just told him that the fridge needed restocking and that they were almost out of Easy Mac. That was how things were when he was with Shikamaru. Nothing is said except for what needs to be said.

Sasuke sighed, flipping through his sketchbook. Landscapes and pictures of Itachi soon gave way to some foxes before becoming Naruto. After that, the drawings were gone, leaving him flipping through plain white paper. Sasuke closed his notebook with a sigh. He shook his head. The class began to file into the room followed by Iruka. Sasuke pulled out his notebook, waiting for the teacher to begin class.

"Hello, everyone," Iruka said. "Just a remainder: you have only a week and a half until your portraits and journals are due. Because of that reasons, I'm giving you the hour to meet in your pairs and discuss what you are going to do."

There was a lot of clattering as students got up to meet with their partners. Cautiously, Sasuke gathered up his gear and made his way over to Naruto, who looked really confused.

"Hey, Naruto," Sasuke said when he reached the blonde. Naruto looked up, his mask adjusting to fit him. Sasuke frowned at the thought of a mask.

"What are you doing over here, Sasuke?" Naruto wanted to know, as though trying to strike up a conversation.

"Dobe," the brunetter replied. "I'm your partner for this project."

"Oh, yeah, sorry, I forgot."

Sasuke nodded. He had noticed the brief flicker of pain that crossed Naruto's eyes when he had spoken of forgetting. Sasuke's eyes softened. _I wonder how much he remembers_, the Uchiha thought as he took a seat next to his friend.

In a low voice, the Uchiha asked, "How much do you remember?"

Naruto cast a sidelong glance at Sasuke. "I… I remember… things that happened…" His voice dropped and he looked away from Sasuke at this point. "But they can't… be told here."

Sasuke gave a jolt of surprise. Did he only remember bad things? Was there anything the Uchiha could do to help his friend? He remembered some of the sketches he had seen Naruto draw – of both of them. Reaching over into his bookbag, Sasuke fished out the sketchbook, carefully tearing out the last two pages (which contained the two picture poems that he had done) and handed the book to Naruto.

"Here," he told the boy. "You gave this to me a while ago. It might be helpful in jogging your memory or something."

Naruto carefully took the sketchbook from Sasuke, eyes showing his surprise.

"Thank you," he murmured, looking kind of like a bashful child. A tiny smile brushed the blonde's lips as his cheeks were tinted a light pink.

"Just look through it," Sasuke said. He pulled out his own sketchbook and a pencil (along with several colored pencils) and just began to sketch. Again, his hang drew Naruto – which he was glad was too engrossed in the boy's journal-like sketchbook to notice what he was doing. The picture was of Naruto looking into the mirror. His own face was his mask. An easy grin, a sparkle in his eyes, the brimming of sunshine. There was a small cut on his cheek, with the red colored a crimson red.

What was reflected on the mirror's surface was the yang of this picture. The boy in the mirror was looking out with depressing eyes, his mouth twitched into a frown. His eyes showed loss, betrayal and pain. This Naruto's cut was bleeding black. Sasuke allowed a tiny smile to grace his features when he looked at his drawing. How he had managed to pull it off, the Uchiha had no idea, but here it was. After a half hour of drawing, it was done.

On the back of the picture (since there was no room on the front), Sasuke wrote a poem, just to copy the style of his sunshine.

_Look Into the Mirror_

_Look into the mirror_

_Do you see what's mine?_

_Do you see what I must do?_

_And all that I must hide?_

_You think that I am happy_

_Guess what? You are wrong_

_You think that I don't care_

_About what you say at all_

_But you're wrong_

_I hear every word, and it stays_

_I see every glare and it follows_

_I've felt every rock that you've thrown_

_See this cut?_

_You may think that it bleeds red_

_But look into the mirror_

_Look inside of me_

_This cut bleeds black_

_My heart – its bleeding_

_A lot of blood is lost tonight_

_And I don't know what all is right_

_Should I die?_

_Should I hide?_

_Should I cry?_

_Should I stay the way I am?_

_Or should I show who I am inside?_

_All I can do – to not lose the real me_

_Is look into the mirror_

_And there I am – for all to see_

_Look at me with no hate, and I will love you_

_Look at me with no sadness, and I will smile at you_

_But look at me with disgust, and I will kill you_

_Look at me with bitter tears, and I with sneer at you_

_Because all I need is my reflection, to help the day go by_

_All I need is to know who I am inside_

_And in order to do that – in order to remember_

_I just look into the mirror_

Sasuke shook his head… he had a faint idea what he wanted to do for Naruto's portrait, but he couldn't decide how to do it. _I'll just think about it later_, he mumbled in his mind, hoping that no voice would ever care to answer his silly notes.

Later that night, Naruto was alone in his room. He stared at Kyuubi's bed – remembering the boy. He knew that Kyuubi was dead. It was obvious… but that didn't mean he liked it. That didn't mean he could accept it easily.

Slowly, the boy fell into a deep sleep.

And he dreamed.

_ The setting around him was a hospital – he vaguely remembered this hospital. His arm was broken, and Sasuke was on the chair next to him, glaring at him while a tray of untouched food was next to him. _

_ "I don't want this shit!" Naruto yelled. "Why can't I get ramen?"_

_ "Because its not sold in the hospital, dobe," Sasuke answered, not stopping his stare at Naruto. _

_ Naruto scowled. "So?" he grumbled. "You could always be nice and go to the ramen shop."_

_ "Bull shit, I'm being lazy today – besides, you're the one who made me get a shitty night of sleep last night."_

_ "It's not my fault that you fell asleep on the chair!"_

_ "Yes it is."_

_ "Is not."_

_ "Is too."_

_ "Is not."_

_ "Is too."_

_ "Is not!" Naruto screamed, picking up the red Jell-O off the tray and throwing it at Sasuke. The carton exploded, blasted cherry red Jell-O all over Sasuke's shirt. _

_ Sasuke blinked in confusion for a moment. _

_ "That's it!" he said, grabbing the mashed potatoes and smearing it on Naruto's face. _

_ "AARGH!" the blonde yelled out in vain, for Sasuke would not let up on his attack. _

_ Moments later, the two were sitting there. Naruto covered in mashed potatoes and Sasuke in Jell-O, trying to catch their breath from scuffling with each other while trying not to injure Naruto's arm further. It took a lot more work than normal scuffling did. _

_ "Damn…" Sasuke breathed out, leaning back in his chair. Slowly, he stripped off his ruined shirt. "That was a good shirt."_

_ He pouted. _

_ Naruto's jaw dropped, before he began to laugh hysterically. Sasuke's pout turned quickly to a glare when he saw that he was the object of the blonde's laughter. _

_ "What are you laughing at, dobe?" he snapped angrily. _

_ Naruto turned to look at him and his mouth dropped again, this time a blush added to his cheeks. Sasuke looked really _hot_ shirtless. He shook his head. "Nothing," he mumbled, turning away. _

_ Sasuke grumbled incoherently for a moment before walking off to find a shirt that was clean. He came back in a white tee-shirt that, except for an old coffee stain on the front, was clean. Anyways, it wasn't red and smelled like cherries and that was all Sasuke really cared about. _

_ "Neh, Naruto," he grumbled. _

_ "What?"_

_ "I'm bored."_

_ "Are we switching places for the day or something – you seem to be acting more like me than usual."_

_ "What do you mean 'than usual' dobe," the Uchiha mocked. "Besides, you will _never_ be as hot as me."_

_ Naruto sweatdropped. "I'm going to sleep – please regain your bastardness by the time I wake up," he said in a tired voice, before laying back and closing his eyes. _

_ Sasuke smiled, ruffling Naruto's hair. "'Night, Naruto," he told the boy before walking off to his own bed. _

_ Naruto smiled, not quite asleep yet, but felt warm. It felt different, but in a good way, to have someone say 'good night' to you every day._

Naruto awoke… his mind remembering the dream in perfect clarity.

"What the fuck?" he murmured. He shook his head, noticing that it was only three AM and rolled over, falling back to sleep instantly.

Unfortunately, his second dream was not as good as the first had been.

Like had been happening lately – he always dreamed of _that time_ when he was at the mercy of Orochimaru. He shuddered in his sleep, thrashing about with tears in his eyes as the entire scene played itself before him. When the blonde awoke again only a half an hour later, he did not go back to sleep. Instead, he huddled in the corner of the bed, shaking in fear.

He didn't want to remember. He wanted that scene to vanish.

Then why… why did it keep reappearing?

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

_YAY Chapter 23 is done… I'm off to fall over now. I'm exhausted. This took mental effort… my brain is hurting now… bye bye… _


	24. First Birthday

_Mou__… I seriously think I'm on a roll here. I just love this fic soooooo much. And its easy to write – because I don't have to remember huge details, since I already know most of them, and I don't have to remember song lyrics… I just get to write. WHEEE!_

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**I Bleed Black**

**Chapter 24**

Sasuke looked around, his eyes focusing on his calendar. One of the dated was circled. Staring at the date, Sasuke say that it was for October 10th. Why was that date circled? Why did it make it seem like he was forgetting something important?

_"Sasuke!" a voice screamed. Sasuke was walking along the path, reviewing some things in his head when he was tackled from behind. Sasuke saw the blue of orange that told him who was glomping him. _

_"Naruto! What are you doing out here?" Sasuke scolding, eyes boring into Naruto's. "You're not fully healed yet!" _

_Naruto hung his head. His sapphire eyes were focused on his feet. The blonde bit his lower lip, hands wringing the front of his shirt. _

_"I… I just came out to wish you a happy birthday."_

_Sasuke looked at Naruto, eyes widened. The blonde dug into his bookbag and handed the Uchiha a small box, wrapped in some old comics. 1_

_"July 23rd, right?" the blonde asked nervously. Sasuke nodded dumbly. _

_Naruto smiled at his friend. "It took a long time for me to choose what to get you," he babbled, his smile broadening. "In the end, the only thing I could get you was good memories."_

_Sasuke looked confused. Naruto dragged the Uchiha over to a bench that lined the side of the path. Sitting down, he pulled the Uchiha next to him, beginning to become a little fidgety. Sasuke stared down at the poorly-wrapped present in his hands. _

_"Open it, Sasuke!" Naruto finally whined. _

_Still in a daze, Sasuke opened the gift. In the flat box under the wrapping comics, was a framed photograph. It was of Sasuke and Naruto. Sasuke remembered the day well. It had been when Naruto had talked him into trying out Shikamaru's weird habit of cloud-watching. Both boys, becoming bored with the clouds, had fallen asleep. This must have been taken then. _

_Naruto was snuggling up to Sasuke. The boy's blonde hair was grazing Sasuke's chin. His head was snuggled into the Uchiha's chest. The dark-haired boy's arm was curled around the younger boy. _

_Sasuke's eyes glowed as he stared at the picture in his hands. It was something that he knew he would treasure forever. _

_"Do… do… do you like it?" Naruto asked in a tiny voice. Sasuke smiled, hugging the other boy to him. _

_"Thank you, Naruto," he whispered. "This… I… just, thank you!" _

_Naruto, after getting used to being slightly squished in the embrace, hugged back. "Just so you know," the blonde said in Sasuke's ear, his voice slightly muffled by Sasuke's shirt. "You gotta get me a birthday present now."_

_"So tell me when your birthday is, dobe."_

_Pause. _

_"October 10th."_

_So that explains it_, Sasuke said as he got up. His eye caught a faint gleam on his bookshelf. Taking a closer look, he smiled. It was just the morning sunlight reflecting off the glass of the picture. The same picture that Naruto had given him three months before, Sasuke noted. He felt a burning at the back of his eyes.

_No!_ he told himself. _I won't cry._ He rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. _I promised myself that I wouldn't run after Naruto!_

He looked at the calendar again. It was Saturday. That meant there were only three days left until the project for Iruka was done. Naruto had actually been coming to class lately. Sasuke hoped that meant that he was feeling better.

The Uchiha glanced at the clock on his bedside table. It read 6:00 AM. Sasuke grinned.

Today, he would work on the painting. Around noon, he'd visit Naruto and wish the boy and happy birthday. Sasuke thought back to the present he had bought the boy a long time ago. He would give it to Naruto – but he felt as though he needed something else for the boy. The perfect idea popped into his head. Okay, so he would leave an hour early – pick up the second present, and might as well talk to Jiraiya. Naruto needed to feel unlonely, maybe Jiraiya could hook up some people from martial arts class to come to his dormroom.

Tomorrow, the Uchiha would work on the journal. He and Naruto had talked it over and agreed to make the journals be stereotypical. It was the easiest way to keep their secrets just that: secrets.

Standing up finally, Sasuke pulled out his easel and canvas. He got out his oil paints and brush as well as his sketch of what he wanted to do. He pulled out his pencil and began to draw a larger image of what he had on his paper.

In another dorm, in another room, Naruto was waking up to the sound of his alarm clock. He opened his eyes groggily. The beeping of his clock penetrated the heavy silence of the room. Naruto glanced at it. Noon. He banged his fist on the top of the clock, shutting off the alarm.

Naruto sighed as he sat up in bed, swinging his legs over the side of his bed. Why did something nag at his brain? Looking at the calendar tacked up on the wall, he realized that today was October 10th.

His birthday.

Uzumaki Naruto shuddered. He had never had a good experience on his birthday. Standing up, he squared his shoulders, trying to keep his fear inside. Kids normally looked forward to their birthdays. Naruto wasn't like normal kids – he dreaded his birthday.

Today was just a twenty-four hour nightmare that the blonde could not escape from. It was a time when he wished that he didn't exist.

Unfortunately, Naruto wasn't dead yet – so he had to still act like he didn't care. He had to wear the mask that he both loved and hated. Sometimes the mask didn't fit, but he would still make it fit.

Just pretend nothing was wrong.

Just pretend that someone cared.

Just pretend that today was just another day.

Just pretend that someone could care enough to come and say the two words the blonde had never heard.

"Happy Birthday."

Naruto was startled out of his reverie as he heard someone speak. Spinning around where he stood, he saw none other than Uchiha Sasuke standing in the doorway. His mind vaguely comprehended what the brunette had said.

"W-What?" he stammered, eyes growing wide and fearful.

"Happy Birthday, Naruto," Sasuke repeated with a shy smile he had only ever showed Naruto. "Today is your birthday."

Naruto looked at the Uchiha with a bewildered look on his face. "You… you wished… you said…" Naruto was mumbling, mind still in a kind of fog.

Sasuke walked over to the blonde. He pulled a present, wrapped in bright orange paper, and handed it to the boy.

Naruto looked at the bright orange box in front of him.

"Are you sure this is for me?" he asked in a tiny voice.

Sasuke contemplated smacking the boy, but eventually decided against it. "Of course its for you – why else would I be handing it to you?" Sasuke said patiently. "Dobe." He couldn't help adding his favorite nickname at the end of the sentence.

Naruto seethed at the name. "I'm not a dobe, bastard!" he yelled, snatching the box from Sasuke's hands. Sasuke grinned.

"Now there's the Naruto that we all love," a voice said from behind them.

Both of the boys whirled towards the door. Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino stood there. Each had a present in their hands for Naruto. Apparently, it was Sakura that had spoken a moment beforehand. Both girls took their presents and put them on the table.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto wanted to know.

Sakura smiled at him kindly. "You see, Sasuke-kun came to Jiraiya-sensei to tell him about your birthday. Jiraiya called us and said that we should come over. He gave us your dorm and room number." She paused. "I hope you don't mind."

"No… not at all!" the boy nearly shouted. Sasuke felt Naruto's blue eyes on him and blushed a little bit. To his surprise – and secret pleasure – the blonde glomped the Uchiha. Sasuke lost his balance and fell with Naruto into what could be seen as a very compromising position.

"Thank you," Naruto gushed. Sasuke could feel the boy's grin through his shirt. A flash of light startled him. He looked up and saw Ino and Sakura standing there. Ino had a camera in her hands.

"Cute!" the blonde girl squealed with an evil smirk on her face. "You two are so _cute_ together!"

Sasuke blushed and glared.

Naruto blushed and gave them a shy smile.

"Are we interrupting something?" Neji asked from the doorway. With him was Rock Lee, Jyuu Tenten, Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino.

They loaded their presents onto the kitchen table, where Sakura's, Ino's and Sasuke's were. Naruto just stared at them. Even though he knew the reason why they were here, the boy still wondered if it was some type of hallucination.

"H-happy B-birthday, Naruto-kun," Hinata said with a light blush on her cheeks. Naruto smiled.

"Thanks."

"Enough standing around," a new voice shouted. "Is this a party or what?"

The new voice belonged to blonde Sabuka Temari. She stood in the doorway, hands on her hips, a quirky smile on her lips. Behind the rambunctious teenager were her silblings, Kankarou and Gaara.

"Hey, you made it!" Kiba yelled out happily.

It was only three minutes later when Momichi Zabuza, Akimichi Chouji, Nara Shikamaru, and Momichi Haku appeared. After listening to Shikamaru's rant about how it was so troublesome to be called out on a Saturday for a party (he was shut up by Ino when she kissed him), the group began to teach Naruto the wonderfulness of a birthday party.

They played games, watched movies, had popcorn fights and then around seven, Naruto opened his presents. It was an amusing expanse of items.

From Tenten, he had gotten a dagger set for throwing, which were kind of like kunai, only lighter, easier to aim.

From Neji, Naruto received a 28 ½ inch bladed katana. A lot of the "guests" at the party had oohed and aahed over this particular gift.

From Lee (who majored in photography), Naruto received a large photo album of the martial arts class training, or just hanging out.

From Chouji, there was an enormous box of Tasty Cakes.

From Shikamaru, there was a book on the art of cloud-watching.

From Shino, there was a book about all of the insects in the world.

From Hinata, there was a home-made scarf.

From Kiba, he received the Inuzuka's old Dreamcast and a copy of the original Soul Calibur.

From Sakura, he got a large, velvet-covered sketchbook.

From Gaara, there was a bright orange hoodie with a picture of a crouching fox on the back.

From Kankarou, there were hand-made wooden puppets of all the students in the martial arts class.

From Haku, he received a mask that was from his favorite manga (which he had shared with Haku when they had first met) **_2_**

From Temari, there was a few fishnet shirts and a couple pairs of UFOs.

From Zabuza, he got a pair of gray-brown camouflage pants.

From Sasuke, he got a signed box set of his favorite anime.

Ino held her present, waiting to give it to Naruto. He looked around, eyes happy and he was hyper as everything. She looked over at Sasuke. The Uchiha nodded to her.

Sasuke turned to Naruto. "There's one more thing I've got for you," he said with a mysterious smile.

"Really?" Naruto asked. He stared at Sasuke.

"If you hold on here, I'll be right back with it."

Naruto nodded. Sasuke went out the door. He came back in about ten minutes later holding something against his chest.

Naruto, out of all the curiosity he possessed, tried hard not to jump on the boy and make him show the blonde what he had.

Everyone in the room went silent. They were all staring at Sasuke, as though willing him to show them what he had in his hands. Suddenly, Sasuke lifted the top arm off of what he was covering.

In Sasuke's arms, cradled against his chest was a tiny kitten. The feline was completed gray, with a light golden strip down its face, between its eyes. The eyes themselves were an honest hazel-golden-brown, wide and innocent. The kitten mewed softly, its eyes surveying everyone.

"Here's my other present to you, Naruto," Sasuke said, rubbing the cat between its ears with his thumb.

"My present," Ino took this chance to speak. "is a joint present with Sasuke-kun. It's everything you need for the cat, for a while." She placed her present on the floor next to Naruto while Sasuke handed the kitten to the boy.

The small feline mewed softly against as Naruto embraced it, nuzzling it up to his neck.

"W-What will you name it, N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, breaking the silence that had descended on the room ever since the cat had come.

"I don't know," Naruto replied softly.

"Is there anyone you like?" Sakura asked. "'Cause I heard that if you name a pet after a person you like, then you'll be with the person in a few weeks."

Naruto blushed and buried his bright red face into the kitten's fur.

"Aww, cute!" Sakura exclaimed. A moment later, Temari jumped to her feet rushing over to Naruto.

"Who?" she wanted to know. "Who?"

"N-not saying," Naruto mumbled against the soft fur.

"Aww!" Temari cooed. "That's so cute!" She grinned at Naruto. "Anytime you want to go out, call me, Naru-chan. I'll help you with whoever it is!"

Naruto stared at her with a surprised look on his face. "I'm not… I don't need… They would never like me back," he murmured softly.

Temari grinned and ruffled his hair. "Well, you've got a big sis now who will look out for you," she told him. Temari gave a little giggle. "I always wanted a little brother as cute as you!"

"Hey, what about me and Gaara?" Kankarou whined, scowling at his sister. "You can't forget us."

Temari rolled her eyes. "Kankarou, you're _older_ than me, and Gaara, while cute, doesn't have the adorability that Naruto has." She grinned at the blonde boy, who hid his face once again in the cat's fur.

"Creature," he said in a small voice. **_3_**

Everyone looked at the boy strangely. "Huh?" Lee asked.

"The kitty's name is Creature," he whispered slowly.

"It's a good name," Gaara spoke up, staring directly at Naruto.

Naruto blushed again. The cat mewed, jumping up on Naruto's shoulder and curling up against the blonde's neck. Nobody except for Shikamaru noticed the intensely jealous look in his roommate's eyes. Sasuke regained composure a moment later.

Before Shikamaru could even think about it, the door slammed open. Eveyone looked up to see a semi-drunk Jiraiya and Tsunade burst in.

"I brought sake!" Jiraiya yelled at the top of his voice. In his hands, he carried at least three cartons full of the drink. Tsunade brought three more when she walked in a moment later.

"Drink up!" the nurse yelled cheerfully. "There's enough for all."

After a moment of staring in shock at the intrusion, all hell broke loose. Drinking games, strip games, contests and everything else one can do with alcoholic drinks was played until nearly everyone had collapsed.

Naruto, who didn't really like sake that much, had only had a few glasses. Apparently, though, he had a very high tolerance to alcohol, because he didn't feel anything.

Standing, Naruto went down to the RA's room for several blankets. The RA gave as many blankets as he needed. Naruto treaded softly back to his doormroom. Upon entry, he smiled at all of the sleeping people who _cared_ for him. Actually _cared_. He grinned as he took the blankets and tucked everyone in. Creature the cat was curled up on the blonde's pillow.

Naruto walked outside. He knew that he needed some air. All he had with him was the new sketchbook that Sakura had given him. The book, Naruto had decided, would act as a sketchbook, journal **_4_** and diary, combined.

He sat outside, using the artificial lights of the lamppost for light as he pulled out a pen. He wrote:

_Dear Kyuubi:_

_I'm doing really well, actually. The kids in one of my classes called everyone in my martial arts class and told them that it was my birthday. I always wanted to be told "Happy Birthday." Today I got some – well, actually, a lot – of "Happy Birthdays." It made me really happy. This sketchbook is from a girl named Haruno Sakura. I like her, but my feelings point me to someone else. That's right – I'm in love with someone. The bad side is this someone won't ever love me back. It's not in his nature. I'm not sad because of that. I only hope he can find someone who can take care of him and make him the happiest he could ever be. You want to know the name of the person I love? Well, I'm not telling you! It's a secret and I'm still trying to get myself to believe in it completely. After, this boy is nice in his own way, and he understands me. I just know that he's not the type to love anyone. I feel kind of depressed – but there's no reason for it. I mean, there's nothing about why I should feel this way. I got a great birthday party, lots of friends, a new kitty (her name's Creature) and nobody's currently out to get me. I have a good life, but I still feel like I'm missing something besides six months of memories. I wonder why I feel this way. Oh well. _

_Love from,_

_Naruto_

Naruto looked down at what he had written. These would be the letters he was originally supposed to send to Kyuubi, before the boy had died.

There was a sound in the darkness as Naruto shut the book and pocketed the pen. The blonde felt suddenly exposed in the ring of light he was standing in. Springing to his feet, Naruto raced off towards the dorm, trying to escape the footfalls behind him. He heard someone coming after him. They were getting closer.

All went black and he knew no more.

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

_1 Well, this is what we do at my house… whenever we don't have any wrapping paper – we use newspaper!_

_2 This is just Haku's mask from the anime, so nyah!_

_3 Today, my friends and I found a kitten outside of a pizza place by our school. It was a five month old female kitten, and we named it "Creature" after the bass guitarist of Deadsy. Originally, its name was Beast, but we liked Creature better. My girlfriend, Sam, took the cat home with her. I'M A DADDY! Which is really messed up, considering I'm female but whatever._

_4 To me, there's a difference between a Journal and a Diary. A Diary is for thoughts, feelings, events, etc… a journal is for ideas for stories, poems, etc. Yeah, I don't know why I think that way, I just do. _


	25. Marking What's Mine

_Hello people, sorry for the cliffhanger in 24… it was just me bored during Astronomy. Also… I wanted a chapter with little to no angst (yeah, that's a first, neh?) and so blah! Chapter 24 was created… in classes… of course. Heeheehee… the cliffhanger I had to throw in there. ((sigh)) I miss Creature. I her Daddy… and my girlfriend might be able to keep her! YAY! Moving on, so that my hopes aren't put too far up… here's Chapter 25. And look! Characters that haven't appeared for a few chapters will once again crawl out of the first few sentences. Enjoy!_****

****

**I Bleed Black**

**Chapter 25**

When Naruto awoke again, he wished that he hadn't. "You…" he murmured softly. Brief memories of the man in front of him _had_ returned. There, with Orochimaru's gang flanking him, sat Uchiha Tomoe. Naruto tried to get up, only to find that he couldn't move his hands. They had been bound tightly with some kind of rope. He stared up fearfully at the dark-haired man.

"W-Why?" he stuttered, trying to get out of the ropes.

"Why what, Naruto-kun?" Tomoe sneered, his mouth forming an evil smirk. He stared down at the boy from where he sat.

"W-Why am I here?" came the hesitant answer.

"You are _here_, Naruto-kun," Tomoe responded, "because I _want_ you to be here."

"That doesn't give me an answer!" Naruto snapped before he could hold himself back.

The blow came faster than he could follow. The boy's head slammed into the hard concrete floor of the room where they were.

"Don't be disrespectful," Tomoe warned. Naruto glowered as he sat back up, not really knowing how he managed to. "Now tell me. What kind of relationship do you have with my son?"

"We're nothing to each other!"

"That's a lie, and lying is not good for you, you'll be punished for that in due time," Tomoe scorned. "Now what was Sasuke doing living in your dorm for almost three months?"

"I don't know!" Naruto yelled. He shuddered, trying to hide all the fear from his face and voice. A little managed to sleep into his words though, throwing his voice a pitch higher.

"Do you not?" Tomoe asked, though he didn't really expect Naruto to answer. "You've got an attitude, Naruto-kun, and I don't like whores that have attitudes."

Naruto stiffened, openly staring at the older man with terror written across his face. So this was what this entire confrontation was about. This was what Uchiha Tomoe wanted. The man didn't want to learn about Sasuke.

He wanted Naruto.

Naruto shivered, realizing what that would mean for him.

"You've got to be kidding me…" he whispered. "I… I'm not a whore!"

"Silence!" Tomoe thundered. His hand came up and he smacked Naruto down. "You will not speak unless I tell you too."

"Bullshit!" the blonde shouted back. "I'm not going to listen to you… _ever!_"

"Hmm… is that so?" Tomoe asked in a slithering tone. Naruto felt fear run up and down his spine. It wasn't something he liked – this fear. But whether he liked it or not, it still overtook him, making him struggle even more against the ties in vain.

"You won't escape, Naruto-kun," the man laughed. "You're mine now. Nobody will come for you because nobody cares."

The last line made Naruto freeze up, trying not to shudder or shout something back. People cared… that's what yesterday had been all about, right? They had come to his dormroom because they cared… right? Or was it all some kind of lie…

No, Naruto had to believe in his friends, even if they didn't believe in him. He had to wish for them to come, even though a tiny voice nagged at him that they wouldn't.

Tomoe finally stood up from where he had been sitting throughout the entire "meeting." He looked hungrily at the blonde before turning to Orochimaru and his gang.

"Leave us," he ordered. "If I am in a better mood, I may let you have a turn with him when I finish."

"Yes, sir!" Orochimaru's gang chorused. They left the cold, dark room. Naruto stared fearfully at Tomoe. The man's look of lust was almost to much for the just-turned-fourteen to take… but something prevented him from looking away.

"Stay away from me, you sick bastard!" Naruto screamed, backing up until he hit a wall. The cool surface gave no comfort to the terrified teenager. If anything, it just scared him even more than he already was.

"What would be the fun in that, Naruto-kun?" the man asked, his voice low.

"It's not supposed to be fun," Naruto whimpered.

Tomoe grinned impatiently at his "prey," licking his lips. "Really?" he purred. "And who says that?"

Naruto didn't have time to reply as Tomoe's mouth covered his own. The older man's tongue pushed past his lips, exploring the entirety of his mouth. Naruto shivered but was unable to do anything to help himself. This man was much stronger than the blonde, not to mention that he had Naruto's hands tied together so that the boy could do nothing to stop Tomoe's advances.

Tomoe groaned into Naruto's mouth, the sound sending shivered down the blonde's spine. Naruto felt something hard poking him in the stomach. It disgusted him, made him want to vomit but he was unable to. He felt tears well up in his eyes as Tomoe continued to moan into his mouth.

_No!_ Uzumaki Naruto yelped in his mind. _This can't be happening to me_. Yet here he was, once again at the mercy of someone else. It was too soon. It had only been, roughly, a month since the last time he had been in this position. He couldn't believe he was stuck like this again.

And who knew what kind of a man Uchiha Tomoe was?

The man soon began to unclothe Naruto. He first cut the wrist bindings, yet his weight on top of the blonde prevented the boy from escaping. Instead slowly trailed kisses down Naruto's neck. He found Naruto's gasps of pain/pleasure like music to his ears. Tomoe couldn't resist doing all he could to get Naruto to make those sounds.

Naruto screwed up his face, trying to ignore the man's soft caresses. Tomoe saw the boy's futile attempts on trying to act dead. It amused the Uchiha to see his self-chosen uke trying to make believe that Tomoe didn't exist.

"I'm still here, Naruto-chan," the man whispered silkily in Naruto's ear.

Naruto didn't acknowledge him, content on just struggling more. Tomoe sighed, looking at the uncooperative blonde.

"I didn't want to have to do this," the Uchiha said, his soft voice thick with a sadistic edge.

"W-what?" Naruto stammered before he saw Tomoe close his eyes. Realization dawned on the poor boy and he stared at his captor in horror.

"No!" he screamed, his mind going blank with terror. "NO!" The blonde thrashed violently, trying his hardest to get free…

And then his body stopped following his brain's commands. Tomoe had used the boy's weakness against him and his flailing limbs fell limply on the floor. Tears fell freely from open eyelids as Sasuke's father towered over him.

"Don't do this to me," he begged softly, trying to restore _any_ power over his body.

"Why not? Don't you like this?" Tomoe's soft voice, layered thickly with lust, questioned him.

"N-no!" was Naruto's quavering reply.

"Aah, but something else tells me differently," replied the Uchiha.

------

"You know, _kitsune_, it was me what made you the way you are," Tomoe informed the blonde, watching the boy's face for any reaction. Naruto's eyes snapped open as he realized what the man had said.

"W-what?" he murmured softly.

"The person who combined your DNA and that of the fox's… that was me," Tomoe continued, as though this were a normal conversation to be having while slowly undressing the other boy.

Naruto deemed Tomoe both a genius and severely insane.

Not being able to stop himself, Naruto growled, "Oh, so _you're_ the evil bastard that fucked up my entire life who I _will_ kill one day."

------

"Screaming is beautiful," Tomoe murmured softly. "Especially when I cause it."

------

"Naruto, I'm going to tell you to lie exactly as you are – and don't move, or else you'll be punished," the Uchiha told him. Naruto blinked back tears. He really did not know how the man could get back up after having an orgasm, but he really didn't care either. All of the sudden, Naruto felt a burning pain enter his lower back – that wasn't there before. He shivered, glancing back with as much effort as he could spare.

There was Tomoe, with someone else in the room. The other person Naruto didn't recognize, but he was inserting the tip of a tattooing needle into the boy's back.

"W-what's happening?" Naruto asked softly.

Tomoe rubbed the boy's head, much like one would pet a dog, as he stared at what was being done. "I'm just claiming you as my own, it won't hurt for long, Naru-chan," he told the boy, still rubbing his hand through the locks of gold that adored the boy's head.

Not knowing what else to do, Naruto let the blackness that had been growing at the edges of his vision consume him completely.

------

Sasuke had woken up at five in the morning on October the 11th. He looked around, surprised that he was covered in a warm blanket – and surprised even more than he was in Naruto's dormroom. His mind searched his memory for reasons of this. Oh yeah, birthday party… than Jiraiya and Tsunade came with sake… and gods! Sasuke's head hurt so much. He looked around for the blonde he loved, but was surprised when he couldn't find him.

Something was nagging at his mind… what was this feeling? Why did he feel afraid – as though something bad was happening to the blonde? Stumbling over to the kitchen, Sasuke found the aspirin and popped two pills into his mouth, swigging them down with water from the sink.

Goddamn hangovers!

He needed to figure out where Naruto was – he needed to find the boy… before something else happened. Normally, this would be the point where his rational mind kicked in and tried to remind him that Naruto could be anywhere and running around would bring meaningless results.

Sasuke didn't hear it this time… he just ran.

Out of the room, out of the dorm, down the path, towards anywhere and nowhere. His heart beat furiously, pounding with fear and adrenaline at the same time. He didn't know where Naruto was. Yet something told the Uchiha that he had to find Naruto… before something happened… like before.

The image of the bound and naked Naruto flashed into Sasuke's mind and that was enough to hone his determination. He would need a plan. The blonde's name being mentioned pricked his ears towards a conversation a little farther down the path.

Jumping into the trees, he stopped right above where Orochimaru and Kabuto sat. It was still early morning, so chances of anyone hearing them were slim to none, but unfortunately for them – Sasuke was listening.

"Naruto better do what the Boss asks him to do – for his own good," Orochimaru growled.

Kabuto smirked. "You just don't want Oyabun to damage the boy, don't you?" he questioned.

Orochimaru gave a mirthless laugh. "That is true, Kabuto."

"But to think of the irony," Kabuto sneered, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "Sasuke-kun has taken a fancy to Naruto-kun, so it seems."

Orochimaru just stared at the slightly younger companion. "What do you mean by 'irony', Kabuto," he asked.

"Well, right now… Sasuke-kun's father is probably fucking Naruto-kun senseless," the white-haired student said casually.

Sasuke gripped the branch he was balancing on until his knuckles turned white. Kabuto and Orochimaru walked off in the night. Debating for a moment whether or not to follow them, Sasuke finally did. They knew where Naruto was… and Sasuke could almost feel the hatred pouring out of him as he thought of what could be happening. With a determined promise to protect the blonde dobe, Sasuke leapt off through the trees after Kabuto and Orochimaru.

He was going to find Naruto.

_Holy shit, that took forever to finish. Mou… I finally got my lazy ass off my chair and decided to edit this… not sure if that was a good decision or not… I'm bad at editing sex scenes. For those of you who want to read the original and haven't yet… there's a link in my profile. _

_And yes, there is a reason – a very important reason… which will be explained sometime in the future… not now… or now… just whatever. _

_Love all of you that read this and have kept with it. Sorry for no poem here, I couldn't find a place for one. _


	26. Finding Naruto

**I Bleed Black**

**Chapter 26**

Sasuke followed Orochimaru and Kabuto stealthily. Surely, _they_ would lead him to his father. At the thought of Tomoe, Sasuke felt a harsh rage course through his blood. He didn't know what his father had done to Naruto, but the young Uchiha swore that the man whose blood he shared would pay.

The blonde dobe entered his thoughts, driving Sasuke's anger away. The boy was innocent, naïve, and lovable. He was hated for something he could not control. He was hated for his lineage – Uzumaki.

Sasuke didn't understand this. If one was going to hate another, at least hate them for being them – not for some rumors that are untrue when pertaining to the person themselves. That was how he had always seen it, but not many people shared his point of view.

The young Uchiha felt a tingling on his neck as the sun peaked over the horizon. He stopped his pursuit, keeping one eye on his prey while he scanned the area for whoever was after him.

Much to his surprise, Hyuuga Neji and Sabuka Gaara appeared out of the foliage. Both were armed with their chosen weaponry, having actually _prepared_ for a confrontation before leaving their respective dorms.

"Why are you here?" Sasuke asked suspiciously.

Neji and Gaara stared at him for a moment before the Hyuuga spoke. "Calm down, Uchiha," Neji told him in a soft manner. "We're here for the same purpose you are – and that's to find Naruto."

Sasuke nodded. He had suspected that, but before he could continue that train of thought, another question hit him. "How did you know where to find him?"

Gaara and Neji exchanged a glance. Gaara put a hand in his pocket and withdrew a folded piece of paper. "This was delivered to Naruto's dorm room," Gaara informed him with an expressionless face.

For reasons he didn't know, Sasuke wanted to punch the redhead. Instead, he took the paper and unfolded it, reading what was written on it.

_Naruto…_ the Uchiha thought as he scanned the message.

"Jiraiya told us to prepare to get him back," Neji continued. He held something out to Sasuke.

Sasuke grinned as his fingers enclosed around the hilt of the katana Neji held. Taking it in both of his hands, Sasuke whipped out the blade, letting the dawn light shine on its surface.

"Let's go," he urged the others before slamming the blade back into its sheath.

Neji and Gaara nodded, following Sasuke after Kabuto and Orochimaru.

-----

Naruto slowly regained consciousness. Even before he opened his eyes, a stinging pain crept up his spine. It was a double agony, to tell the true. Not only was he sore because of what Tomoe had done to him, but also from what the man's friend had done to him with the needle.

Slowly, the blonde opened his eyes. Tomoe was sitting on the chair, much like he had been the night before, staring at Naruto's small form.

Once again, Naruto was bound (though this time, his wrists were in front of him). His ankles and hands were roped together tightly. He felt cold stone pressing against his skin. With a furious blush, Naruto realized he was naked.

"W-what happened…?" the blonde stammered in a small, fearful voice.

Tomoe's blank face broke into an evil smirk. "You are mine, Naruto-kun," he whispered. In the tense silence that was in the room, the man's voice echoed dully.

Naruto shuddered. "What was happening with the man with the needle?" he demanded to know, though there was not much force behind his words.

"That was the mark that shows you are now my property," was Tomoe's response. The elder Uchiha walked over to Naruto, who became even more aware of his lack of clothing as Tomoe drew closer. Yet, bound as he was, he was unable to move.

Tomoe kneeled in front of Naruto, his fingers on the boy's chin. "You're very pretty, my boy," he murmured softly. "I just love watching you. Your screams are music to my ears; your tears are all that I need to want you even more."

Naruto's blue eyes were wide as he stared at Tomoe. Before he could speak, however, Tomoe's mouth covered his own. Naruto sighed mentally and just let Tomoe's tongue invade his own mouth. The organ explored every inch of the cavern, memorizing its depths. Naruto slowly let his eyes shut, blocking off all of his senses except touch and taste.

Tomoe tasted of whiskey – the really expensive kind that only very few could actually afford. The man's hands kept moving and Naruto was unable to stop them.

One of the man's hands was on Naruto's thigh, coming closer to his groin with every second. The other hand was moving towards his rear, sliding down the cheeks and opening them. A finger probed at his sore entrance, making the blonde cry out in pain.

"Does that hurt, Naruto-kun?" Tomoe murmured a dangerous edge to his voice. When Naruto made no move to answer him, Tomoe grabbed the boy's blonde locks, yanking them. Naruto's head jerked back painfully, as well as exposing his neck. "Answer my question, boy."

Naruto nodded, tears in his eyes from the unexpected pain on his scalp. Tomoe smiled as he began a feral attack on the boy's neck. He kissed and bit the boy's exposed throat, leaving large red marks when he finally moved on.

When blackness finally engulfed him, much later on, the broken boy welcomed it.

But there was something strange about this darkness. Something that Naruto hadn't seen before.

This darkness showed the blonde scenes of the months he had missed.

------

Sasuke, Gaara and Neji waited outside of Kabuto's and Orochimaru's dormroom, taking turns on spying to get information. So far, the topic of Naruto or Uchiha Tomoe had yet to be brought up again. They were beginning to get disheartened.

"This is pointless," Sasuke growled. "I'm going to _make them_ tell me where the fuck my father is!"

Neither of his allies made any move to stop him, and Sasuke knew it was because they were fed up with the two and a half hours they had wasted here.

Sasuke walked up to the door, katana strapped to his back. He knocked on it.

Orochimaru opened the door. "Why, hello Sasuke-kun," his slippery tone suggested more than what he said. Sasuke stared at Orochimaru with his cold onyx eyes.

"Where are Naruto and my father, Orochimaru," the Uchiha snarled.

"And what makes you think I know anything about your father or Naruto-kun?" the snake-man asked.

"Because I overheard your conversation earlier and because," he began, unsheathing the blade on his back. "I have a sharp blade and I'm not afraid to use it."

Orochimaru looked at the katana and then back at the resolve into the boy's eyes.

"And what do _I_ get out of this deal, Sasuke-kun?" he questioned.

"You get your life."

"That's not something you can bargain with, unless you really intend to kill me."

"Believe me, I do."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Then why haven't you?"

"Because I am giving you a choice. Naruto's location or my sword in your gut."

Orochimaru shrugged, as if it didn't concern him and said in a casual voice, "Warehouse G on the other side of campus."

Sasuke sheathed the blade and began to walk away.

Orochimaru leaned against the doorway of his room. As he watched Sasuke walk away, he said in a seemingly casual voice, "Don't count on the fact that Naruto will be the same boy you knew when he comes back. What the Boss does is worse than anything that even I could do. Sure, I raped the little brat, but the Boss can destroy his spirit – break him."

Sasuke stopped.

"What do you mean?" he asked in a cold voice.

Orochimaru seemed to have no problems with answering him now. "Chances are – the Boss will make Naruto enjoy what's being done to him – make him feel guilty," Orochimaru said. "It's not something that anyone can do… Naruto is not the same kid you left."

With that, Orochimaru closed his door.

Sasuke stood there for a moment before snapping out of his trance and rushing out of the dorm building. He raced past Neji and Gaara, leaving it up to them to catch up to him as he sped on his way towards Warehouse G.

He didn't want to imagine what his father had done to Naruto. The man was unstable, lethal, and abusive – Naruto shouldn't have to be subjected to things like that.

Blinking back tears from his vision as he made the finally stopped in front of the place where his father was said to be.

Gaara and Neji soon caught up with him. Neither of them said anything about Sasuke's mad dash towards this place, rather, Neji commented, "This it?"

Sasuke merely nodded in response.

Gaara stepped closer to the heavy metal door in front of them. He placed a hand on it. Turning back, he looked at the other two with emotionless eyes.

"Shall we?" was all he asked.

Both nodded.

Gaara pulled out his two wakazashis and focusing his technique, cut through the metal door. **_1_**

The pieces clattered to the floor, none of them hitting the crouching redhead. Slowly, Gaara stood, sheathing his weapons as he did so.

Neji and Sasuke walked in a moment later.

"You ready, Uchiha?" Gaara asked as they stood side by side, looking into the gloom that surrounded them.

"Yeah," Sasuke replied, cracking his knuckles menacingly.

"Then let's go," Neji commented with a wry smile.

The three walked side by side into the darkness that seemed to seep throughout the building. All of them were ready for a fight at a second's notice. When a fight finally did appear, none of them were surprised. They actually looked very happy to finally vent on something.

Or in this case… some people.

"Who are you?" the leader of this group asked.

The three stoic boys just stared at him… stoically.

"Why are you here?" he persisted.

"To get something that was stolen," Sasuke answered before the three of them set on attack.

The men weren't as bad as the three had originally sized them up to be, but Sasuke didn't care about that right now. He just slashed and ducked, hitting and dodging.

Back to back, the three stared at the ring that had formed around them.

Neji turned to Sasuke. "At the first chance, run," he whispered.

"What?" Sasuke asked.

"Neji and I can wrap up things here – go after Naruto," Gaara muttered.

Sasuke nodded. "All right."

The three launched the offensive again. Sasuke made sure _not_ to kill his opponents, but maiming was not out of the question. After all – these people had taken away his Important Person. They deserved what they got. All the while he was fighting, Sasuke was searching for an opening for escape.

There!

Jetting through two of his adversaries faster that he realized he could, Sasuke headed off into the darkness, towards where he felt Naruto was.

He needed to get to Naruto… needed to help the boy… needed to save him.

Otherwise, Sasuke didn't know what he would do.

_Kyuubi-Kun's Korner!_

_**1 **Well, I heard this in the manga Samurai Deeper Kyo by Akimine Kamijyo that a true warrior can cut any man down as long as they have technique. It is not the weapon that matters, but the skill of the fighter. Yukimura-san actually killed people with a fishing pole, his "technique" sharpening the edge to that of a katana… so we're just gonna borrow the idea for the warriors in this fic, neh?_

_Whoosh! I'm done this chapter. I think the reason that the sex scene is in there… is because I was horny earlier today while writing it. Don't ask… but that's all I can think of. Oh yeah… and it was to create more mental barriers between the entire Sasuke/Naruto relationship, of course. _

_I know the fight sequence is completely cliché… I nearly died laughing while writing it. However, its how its written and I'm not changing it. Besides, it fits the characters. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll be back soon with 27. _


	27. Stained Glass

_Back with more of I Bleed Black! Aren't you happy? Sorry for what happened to Naruto… I don't know why I was so mean. I think it has something to do with the fact that my mind is that of a stereotypical guy: perverted and horny as hell. Oh well, moving on to the actual fic. _

**I Bleed Black**

**Chapter 27**

Sasuke hoped that he would not have to walk in on the same scene twice. Bracing himself for what could lie ahead, he crept along the hallways. His footsteps, luckily, did not echo against the walls, even though he thought that his breathing was a bit too loud. There was nothing to do about that anyway. Sasuke couldn't calm down – not until he saw that Naruto was okay. And he needed to be prepared for the worse.

A loud scream shattered the silence.

_Naruto…_ Sasuke thought, rushing off with panic rising in his throat. The boy sounded in pain. Sasuke's hand was on the hilt of his katana as he approached the door that he knew would lead him to his father.

And Naruto.

Breathing in, Sasuke closed his eyes for a second before slamming the door open. He nearly puked at the scene in front of him. Naruto's body lay still under Tomoe's advances. The boy's eyes were closed. Tomoe was picking himself off the seeming-unconscious body of the blonde. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he saw his father pull up his pants and buckle them.

"Aah, Sasuke, what are you doing here?" Tomoe asked with a silky voice. Sasuke shivered. How many times had he been hurt by this man? How many times had Sasuke spent most of the night not even able to cry because he hurt too much?

Shaking his head, Sasuke rid himself of the memories. "What did you_ do _to him?" Sasuke asked, noticing the black kanji on the boy's back, but he couldn't read it from here.

"Marked him," Tomoe answered casually, pulling on a shirt. "Isn't it normal to mark one's property?"

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly as he realizing what happened to Naruto.

Now Naruto was just like him.

Sasuke had to fight to keep his hands by his side, instead of clutching his left shoulder where the mark had been made at the base of his neck. The symbol of his ancestors – the Sharingan. **_1._**

As Tomoe drew closer to his son, the younger unsheathed his katana. The long blade glinted evilly, as though wishing for blood. Sasuke held it, his stance perfect for the long hours he had been putting into training the past few weeks. He hadn't expected to go up against his father though.

He wasn't even sure if he could.

But he had to.

For Naruto's sake.

Eyes hardening until they were as sharp as the blade in front of them, Sasuke changed at Tomoe. Tomoe reached up to the wall, grabbing his own weapon – a katana that had been in the warehouse. He easily parried the attack made by Sasuke.

"Stupid boy," the man growled. "You will never be as good as Itachi – and that's why I'm going to kill you right now."

Tomoe's katana came towards Sasuke in a crescent moon slice, clipping the boy's shoulder. Hissing in pain, Sasuke ducked and rolled, making sure not to stab himself on his _own_ weapon. Blood flowed freely from his shoulder and a sudden pain made him realize that Tomoe's weapon may have damaged his collarbone.

_Concentrate, Sasuke_, he said to himself as his fathomless eyes turned on his father once more. _Concentrate or you'll never beat him._

Calming himself and breathing in deeply, Sasuke tried to still the anger that raced through his veins. His blood was on fire, even as it spilled out of his shoulder.

"See?" Tomoe goaded. "Itachi would never have gotten hit there, you know."

_Itachi…_ Sasuke thought, a pained expression crossing his face.

"Yeah, you were there, I could tell," Tomoe continued. "You were there, the night I killed Itachi. You realize that it's _your_ fault that Itachi died."

"W-what?" Sasuke stammered, his step faltering. Tomoe took this time to attack again, his blade whipping out at his son's leg. Blood gushed from the wound. Sasuke gritted his teeth against the pain.

"Itachi was defending you and you were the reason he left my Clan – I had to kill him," Tomoe continued, attacking again. This time, Sasuke saw the strike and managed to block, though it jarred his muscles.

"BULLSHIT!" he screamed, rage flooding over the dam he had built to keep control.

All of the rage, anger, and hate that Sasuke felt towards his father, along with the lack of control, made Sasuke a frenzied, but deadly man. His speed increased with each blow that he dealt and he felt himself attack at his father, chipping the flesh away little by little.

"Demon," Tomoe spat out as Sasuke's blade ran him through. He spat out a mouthful of blood. "You're just a monster."

The words brought Sasuke back to reality. He widened his eyes, horror flooding through him as he noticed what he had just done. He dropped the weapon and Tomoe's body slumped to the floor with a soft _thump_.

"I… no…NO!" the raven-haired boy screamed, dropping to his knees. He had just killed a person.

And not just any person. He had just murdered his own _father_.

Tears ran down his cheeks. Even through all the pain – he always believed that somewhere inside of him, his father had loved him.

He had hoped – he had wanted it to be like that. He had wanted to believe that his father was a good man on the inside, hidden behind a mask, much like Sasuke was.

Tomoe had tried to take his Important Person from him.

He had stolen Sasuke's Everything and _raped_ him, _marked_ him.

The door slammed open again. Gaara and Neji were there. Sasuke had tears trailing down his cheeks and he was mouthing some mantra that no one could pick up on.

Neji and Gaara were surprised by the sight that met their eyes. Naruto lay, unconscious, and naked, no less, behind the two that were closer to the door. Sasuke was on his knees, blood splattered over him with his katana buried in the man.

Uchiha Tomoe – was dead.

Neji walked over to Sasuke and signaled for Gaara to look after Naruto. The redhead nodded as he walked over to the blonde.

"Sasuke," Neji whispered, his hand on the brunette's shoulder. The boy flinched at the sound of his name. Neji kneeled beside Sasuke.

"I killed him… I killed him…" Sasuke murmured, his hands shaking. "I… I don't know what to do… they'll… they'll arrest me and put me in jail… or kill me… I don't wanna die… dammit… I don't want to die!"

"It's okay, Sasuke, it's okay," Neji told his friend. He really didn't know what to do, but he tried to think of something that would assure the Uchiha that everything was okay. "Everything is going to be fine, Sasuke. Even Naruto-"

Wrong move.

"Naruto?" Sasuke said in a frenzied gesture, latching onto the collar of Neji's shirt. "Where's Naruto? Is he okay?" The questions were pelted at the Hyuuga faster that Neji could comprehend. He just stared down at Sasuke, not knowing what to do.

"Naruto's… well… he's… over there," Neji told him.

Not finding the strength to stand, Sasuke crawled over to where Gaara had wrapped the boy in a cloth that he had found.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked as soon as he was close enough. "Naruto?"

The blonde didn't move or wake up.

Shouting Sasuke's name, the mental control he still had broke and Sasuke fell into a faint, landing conveniently on top of the blonde.

------

When Sasuke awoke again, he realized that he was in the hospital. Luckily, though, his room was a double. In the other bed, lay Naruto. The boy's blue eyes were open and he was looking at Sasuke.

When Naruto saw that the brunette was awake, a relieved smile broke out on his lips.

"Hi," was all he said, in a shy manner.

"Hi," Sasuke replied, in the same soft voice.

The two lapsed into silence for a moment before Naruto spoke again, this time focusing on the ceiling.

"I'm sorry," he told the boy.

"What for?"

"For… kicking you out, even when I told you that I wanted you by my side forever," Naruto began. "For… for being so stupid as to get caught by those assholes. For-"

Sasuke cut him off before he could continue. "You mean… you remember?" he asked, trying not to let too much hope slip into his voice.

There was a pause before Naruto nodded.

Neither could say anything more as two nurses bustled in to care for them.

------

Naruto stared over at Sasuke. The Uchiha was asleep but Naruto couldn't sleep. He felt horrible for what had happened. It had been his fault that the boy had gotten hurt. He didn't tell Sasuke this, knowing that the Uchiha would protest it profusely and then slap Naruto for _thinking_ such a thing.

But that fact didn't change the blonde's feelings at all. Naruto could be seen by others as an emotional masochist, always thinking that the wrong is his fault. Although most of the time, such things are not true – it remains a fact that Naruto believed them to be.

And that was one of the reasons he was crying.

He felt as though he had betrayed the boy he called his best friend. It was because Naruto had been too _stupid_ that night, it seemed like long ago, but was only a day. He took out the pen that he had stolen from a nurse earlier, as well as a sheet of paper he had ripped off his own clipboard. Slowly, he began to compose his feelings into words. A poem.

_The shards of glass fall_

_And I'm wondering where you are_

_You were my happiness_

_You were there- standing beside me_

_So take to that faraway place_

_Take me somewhere new_

_To the forests of the Unicorn_

_I'll be safe as long as I'm with you_

_So I'm the shards_

_Of my being here today_

_My heart was the color _

_My soul was the glass_

_It takes one push_

_For the window to shatter with flying cracks_

_The color dyed the ground_

_The glass was scattered all around_

_Yet as long as you are here for me_

_As long as we're forever_

_Even though I'm gone_

_I can still love from above_

_So with my stained glass shards_

_I'll lay myself anew_

_Cuz even though a window is broken_

_The color stays with you_

_And that is why all of us_

_Are only Stained Glass_

Looking at it, he felt as though it only explained a little bit of what he truly felt. Sighing, he fell back onto his pillow and dreamed.

-----

It was a week later when both boys were deemed ready to leave. Sasuke's leg cut hadn't been too deep, but his shoulder needed stitches. The Uchiha was told to take it easy for about two weeks before coming back to have the stitches removed.

Naruto and Sasuke were being driven home by Jiraiya, who seemed angry at the both of them. However, the white-haired man _didn't_ lecture them. He just kept glancing in the rear-view mirror at them. No one spoke on the ride home. Jiraiya let them out at the dorm and said that he would come talk to them in the morning, as it was very late at night.

Both of them nodded, supporting each other all the way to Naruto's dormroom. They came inside the dormroom.

"Tadaima," Sasuke whispered slowly. Creature mewed from her perch on the window, springing towards Naruto. The blonde managed to catch the kitten before she flung herself into a door. Naruto turned and grinned at Sasuke.

"Okairei!" he told the boy, his face breaking into a smile.

Sasuke grinned. He was home at last.

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

**_1 _**_I think that the curse seal looks a lot like the Sharingan, especially the Mangakyou Sharingan, so yeah… that's why he still has the mark. MWA!_

_The poem was called Stained Glass. I wrote it a super long time ago!_


	28. Rent

_Hello everyone, I'm back – with Chapter 28 of I Bleed Black. So did you all miss me since Tuesday, when I posted Chapter 27? Neh? You didn't? Awww… man… and here I thought I was special. Mou…and here I was actually putting my ego like a balloon. Oh well, here's to whoever wants to pop it (raises pepsi can). Moving on to the story. _

**I Bleed Black**

**Chapter 28**

Naruto fell asleep almost immediately after eating once he had finally made it to the kitchen. Like many nights before the boy had lost his memory, Sasuke stayed up. He was in his normal chair beside the boy's bed.

_Naruto…_ he thought, looking at the blonde fondly. _You… I… almost lost you forever_. Sasuke reached out and touched a hand to the blonde's face, brushing the golden bangs out of his eyes. He felt a burning in his chest as he remembered things that he never wanted to remember.

Sasuke had always known that if he made a friend, something like this would happen. That's one of the reasons that he was a loner. Naruto was not the only one to fall victim to Tomoe's urges and advances. Lightly, Sasuke traced the black tattoo that was located at the base of his neck. The memories of that night would never leave him. He had never truly gotten over it. It still haunted him. His past…

Sasuke believed that he would never be free of it. It would haunt him for the rest of his life. It would slowly eat away at his soul until there was nothing left of him except an empty shell.

Sasuke remembered his vow – his promise to Itachi's grave. He would avenger his brother's death. That's was what he said. He had done what he planned on devoting his entire life to. He thought that he would die in his quest before he was able to complete it or have a mortal wound and then dealing his father the same blow: something cliché like that. But now his life purpose was done. There was nothing left for him.

Sighing, Sasuke looked around for pen and paper. He had to write. If he didn't, he didn't know what would happen. Writing and drawing were the only outlets that he had. He had to be strong. The only times that he was allowed to be weak was when something happened to Naruto.

Like that…

Sasuke had drifted back to _that_ night – so long ago. He felt tears burning his eyes but didn't let them fall. Blinking rapidly, he spotted a pen on the floor and grabbed it. Uncapping it, he began to write on the paper he had spotted under the bed.

_Bound, gagged_

_Fear, Hate, Pain, Blood_

_Tears fall down my face_

_Struggling, thrashing_

_Ever maddening_

_Why me? Why am I…?_

_Unable to think_

_Unable to comprehend_

_Enter, Exit, Enter, Exit_

_Can't scream or make a sound_

_Too weak for life_

_Too weak for death_

_Dying, lying, trying to get away_

_Voice whispers softly in my ear_

_Purring, hurling, choking_

_Need to get out_

_Need to break free_

_Pain, cuts, needle pricks_

_Can't think, can't feel_

_Can't believe this is real_

_Can't believe it's what I feel_

_Binds broken, I can finally breathe_

_Pain overtaking me_

_Tears fall from eyes that swore_

_Not to cry ever again_

_Accidental birth, accidental death_

_Accidental tears, accidental jeers___

_Accidental screams, accidental dreams_

_Vanish when my life is spend_

_Marked… vomiting… crying… I wish I could die_

_Is this what I have to pay for my life's rent?_

Sasuke looked at the completed poem. Why did he write so openly? Tears stung his eyes as he remembered it. It wasn't like he _wanted_ to remember. It wasn't like he wanted these memories at all. He felt a few drops of tears slide down his cheek.

It was stupid, really. He didn't have to cry about old wounds. He didn't have to stare at the scar for hours, did he? No, Sasuke was strong than that.

He had to be. If he wasn't, if felt as though he would die. If he didn't, everything would come crashing down. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

Everything hurt… just like it had back then. The Uchiha felt as though he had been paralyzed. He thought he couldn't move. He tried to close his eyes to shut out the memory, but that only made the vision clearer. Without realizing in, the brunette fell forward and into a dream.

A nightmare he had had for ages.

One that he wished would leave him. It never did.

_Bloody and torn, a small boy of about eleven curled up in the corner of the room. His father, drunk yet again (Tomoe had been drinking even more since his wife's death only three months before.) The elder Uchiha had taken off his belt and whipped the skin off his young son. _

_ "You fucking son of a bitch," Tomoe growled, his voice full of hatred. Sasuke curled around his legs even more. His mind was pleading for it all to stop. He wanted to finally die. He wanted to be anywhere but here. _

_ Anywhere but here. _

_ Sasuke looked up shakily when Tomoe hadn't attacked or said anything for a few minutes. His eyes widened when he saw the man standing there, completely naked. The drunken haze seemed to have left the man's eyes, leaving only lust. _

_ Sasuke shivered. He didn't want to know why his father was standing inches from him, completely naked, looking at Sasuke as though he was some kind of sex-toy. He shook his head, ridding himself of the thought. _

_ Then came the part that Sasuke would always remember in later years. _

_ His father grabbed the scruff of the boy's neck, throwing him onto the floor. The younger Uchiha landed sprawled, wincing as his wrist twisted at a strange angle. Tomoe was straddling his son, ripping off all the boy's clothes. Sasuke tried to fight it, tried to scream, but the only "reward" he got for this was a gag and a shirt tangled in his wrists so he couldn't separate them. _

_ "Such a girly body… so soft," Tomoe murmured slowly, his voice thick with something that Sasuke could never understand. He trailed a finger down his son's chest, making the smaller brunette shiver with fear. _

_ "You're mine, Sasuke," Tomoe asked as he finally rearranged himself to be able to screw his own child. "Do you understand that?"_

_ Sasuke tried to scream, but the gag was preventing the sound from getting anywhere. He could do anything. Even squirming hurt. He couldn't move. Fear rushed up and down his spine, coupled by the pain that flooded him whenever his father thrust in. _

_ Shivering, the boy closed his eyes. He didn't want to see this, he didn't want to believe this was happening. Nothing could be like this… why was this happening to him?_

_ When blackness began to overtake his senses, the boy welcomed it with open arms. _

Sasuke was startled from the dream by someone calling his name. Blinking his eyes, he groaned and stared up sleepily. Sitting there with a worried expression on his tanned and whiskered face was none other than Uzumaki Naruto.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "Are you okay?"

Sasuke nodded after a moment, feeling the warm light of the sun that was trailing in the window. "I'm fine… it was just a nightmare," the Uchiha assured his friend.

Naruto gave him the "don't-bullshit-me-asshole" look, which made Sasuke look away. He couldn't stare Naruto in the eye. The two were truly the same right now. And these memories… he wanted them to leave him.

He was sure that the blonde was feeling the same way that he was right now.

Both kept silent, each absorbed by their own thoughts.

It was Naruto who spoke first.

"Did… was your poem telling the truth?" Naruto asked softly, almost inaudibly.

"What?" Sasuke wanted to know. He had phased out, only hearing the last part of the blonde's question.

Shyly, Naruto took the poem down from where he had put it before trying to wake his roommate up. "Um… this one," he said in a quiet voice.

Sasuke stared at the neat words on the page, blinking. His mind was trying to figure out how Naruto had seen this. That was when he remembered that he had fallen asleep on the paper last night.

Good reasoning.

"Yeah," he grunted. He put on his stoic mask again.

Naruto punched the boy in the eye, making Sasuke fall over. Looking up through a swollen eye and a healthy one, Sasuke glared.

"What the _fuck_, dobe?" he snarled.

"What do you mean, 'what the fuck, dobe'?" Naruto growled back, just as vehemently as Sasuke's words had been. "I'm not the asshole who pulled up his fucking mask again – even after we swore _not_ to use masks around each other!"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed into a scowl. He shrugged. "I don't want to talk about it, okay?" he snapped, going over to his bed. "I'm gonna get some rest, don't bug me."

As he fell asleep, Sasuke wondered if he should apologize when he woke up.

Naruto stared at the sleeping Uchiha. "Bastard," he muttered affectionately. A small smile touched his lips and he lay down on his pillows again, finding slumber once again.

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

_Okay, this chapter is done. Sorry for the memory… I was in a weird mood today. The poem, called "Rent" was written during Photography because that was when I was writing this. Bah… anyways, moving on. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and read. I loves you all! Ja ne!_


	29. Kissing Kindness

_Hiya__ everyone! Yeah… I'm back with Chapter 29 of this fic… I wrote it while nearly falling asleep after a 65-mile bike ride, so you'll understand that some of it IS OOC. Bah… oh yeah, one more thing that I don't think I _ever_ made clear… Sakura is a close friend of Naruto's Now on with the story before I fall asleep right now. _

**I Bleed Black**

**Chapter 29**

The two boys were only woken again when Sakura came by for a visit. Seeing the two still sleeping, the pink-haired girl sighed and put her hands on her hips. _Honestly_, she thought, a little frustrated. _What the fuck do they think they're doing? I came over because they missed all of their classes and I thought something bad happened and look what they're really doing. Sleeping! _

Her first stop was Naruto's bed.

"Naruto!" she yelled, shaking the boy awake at the same time.

The blonde's eyes snapped open almost instantaneously. He glanced around fearfully before he realized that he was just in his dormroom. Relief flooded through him. Sighing, he looked up into Sakura's startled green eyes (of which he had not noticed before).

"Naruto… are you okay?" the Haruno asked. Her eyes were full of concern for her blonde friend.

Naruto, however, felt as though he didn't deserve her care, concern or friendship. Even if she was offering it – she thought he was human, she thought he was as he was before. It would be wrong to accept something like this.

"Stop caring for me," he whispered suddenly. "I don't deserve it."

"What?" was the puzzled response that he was given.

Neither teenager realized at this point that Sasuke was awake. The Uchiha feigned sleep, however, so he could better eavesdrop on the conversation.

"I don't deserve your concern!" Naruto exclaimed, hugging his knees.

"Of course you deserve it, baka!" Sakura nearly shouted. Her features softened a moment later. "You're my friend. I care about my friends."

"You shouldn't care about me," Naruto insisted all the same. He felt his shoulders shake from holding in his sobs. "I'm dirty… I'm fucking disgusting…"

Sakura was confused, to say the least. "Naruto… I don't know what happed, but I'm here if you want to talk."

Naruto looked at her sorrowfully. "You'd be disgusted. You'd think I was dirty, too," he muttered.

Suddenly, Sakura – who suspected that Sasuke was awake – suggested, "Why don't you come over to my dorm, Naruto? I'll cook you some ramen and we can talk. Don't worry about Ino being there. She has photography class until 3:45."

Naruto looked uncertain for a moment before nodding to the other Konoha student. "All right, just let me get changed first," he finally agreed.

"Okay, I'll wait for you in the kitchen for you."

Naruto just offered a smile to Sakura. She returned the gesture and walked over to the kitchen area of the dorm room.

Naruto went over to his dresser, retriving a pair of boxers, a faded pair of blue jeans and an old black T-shirt. The shirt had "AWOL" stamped across it in large, white, bolded letters. He quickly changed into the outfit.

"Sasuke," he called quietly as he sat on his bed, digging underneath in search of his shoes. "I know you're awake."

The Uchiha turned towards the blonde, eyes open. "How?" he asked in a whisper. The two kept their voices down so that Sakura wouldn't hear them.

Naruto smiled timidly. "You usually shift around a lot in your sleep. You haven't moved once since Sakura cam in." There was a pause before Naruto continued. "You heard everything, I presume." It was a statement, not a question.

After a moment, Sasuke nodded. "You don't have to tell her anything, you know."

Naruto gave his roommate/best friend a wry smile. "She, like everyone else I trust, deserves to know."

"But they don't _have_ to."

"Neji and Gaara already know, so what's a few more people?"

Sasuke sighed. He knew there was no arguing with the blonde when he was like this, so he gave up.

"I'll see you later in martial arts class," Naruto told the brunette with a grin as he tied the laces to his shoes. "See ya!"

"Bye!" Sasuke yelled as Naruto walked into the kitchen area. Sasuke watched the interaction between Naruto and Sakura from where he was. Sakura said something that tinged her cheeks with a light blush. Naruto laughed good-naturedly at this.

Sasuke felt jealousy build up within him. He didn't will it away like normal. Instead, the Uchiha let it seep in behind his eyes. Some part of his mind was screaming that Naruto was just being friendly. Another part silenced the first, all the while shouting that Naruto was _his_! Not Sakura's, Orochimaru's or Tomoe's.

**_His_**.

There was a faint click as the door shut behind the two. Unable to fall asleep again, Sasuke got up and did his normal "morning" activities. After that, he went in search of someone who he could talk with. Crossing Shikamaru and Gaara off the list in his head, he decided that Neji was the best choice. After all – Neji had seen him break down after he had killed his father… the boy was second on his list of friends only to Naruto.

And he couldn't talk to Naruto about _this_.

Meanwhile, Naruto had gone to Sakura's. Like she promised, the girl cooked him some ramen. The two were now seated at a table that was set up in one part of the girls' dormroom.

"Naruto, can you tell me what's wrong?" Sakura pleaded. "All this secrecy makes me really worried!"

Sakura looked directly into his eyes and Naruto found that he couldn't deny her request. He looked away, red covering his cheeks. Sure, he acted strong when he was talking to Sasuke, but in truth, he was weak when actually in this situation. After a moment or so of contemplating, he decided to start at a month ago.

"I guess it all began the night Shukaku came to martial arts," Naruto explained. "Shukaku is Gaara's mother as well as an… enemy of mine. She told me some very disturbing news. See… I would tell you what she said, but that would put you in danger and I don't want that. There are too many of us in danger already for you to be added to our numbers." Here, Naruto paused, trying to think of how to say the next part.

"I was broken down, so I went in search of solitude," he explained. Sakura was listening attentively. Naruto couldn't bear to look at her. Instead, he focused intently on the wall instead. He was trying to cry as he went into the next part of what had happened that night. It was still – and maybe, always would be – a sensitive topic for him. "Orochimaru's gang cornered me." He hesitated here, but plowed on. "They tied me up, gagged me. Then all of them… they took turns… raping me. They all – all raped me." He tried not to hear the gasp of horror that came from the pink-haired girl across the table form him. He winced ever so slightly when he heard it, however. "That was when I lost my memory."

"On the night of my birthday, I went outside to get some air and write in my journal," Naruto continued slowly. The events burned fresh in his mind as he remembered them. "I heard something and so, I went away, trying to get away from whoever was following me. I was scared. I was terrified. I couldn't think. Someone tackled me from behind. My head hit the ground and I fainted."

"When I came to, I was in Warehouse G – though I didn't know it at the time. My arms were cuffed behind my back. I couldn't get them free. Orochimaru's boss, Uchi-" Naruto stopped for a moment. Perhaps he shouldn't reveal the full identity of Sasuke's father.

That was Sasuke's story to tell, not his.

"-Uchi Tomoe was there. He… he raped me a lot, too…" Even though he tried to hold back, _this_ time, Naruto broke down into tears. He curled up on his chair, as though to protect himself. Sakura reached out, but thought better of it and let her hand drop on the tabletop. "After a while, I fainted. When I woke up… it happened again. Tomoe kept on saying how I- I belonged to him. How no one cared… that no one would come after me…" Naruto fell silent, eyes haunted and fearful, memories racing through his mind. He could remember every touch placed upon him.

"Naruto?" Sakura asked in a soft voice, effectively jarring Naruto out of his reverie.

Naruto's head shot up. He looked similar to a deer caught in headlights on a dark night. He stood up clumsily. "I understand. I-I'll leave now," he muttered.

The blonde turned towards the door, ready to walk out of the dorm and never bother the pink-haired, green-eyed girl ever again. He was surprised when two arms caught him around his torso.

"Don't leave," Sakura was telling him through bitter tears. "Don't leave. You're not dirty. The only disgusting people are the ones that did that to you."

Naruto felt his spirits lift a little it, but he wasn't going to tell Sakura the truth about his dealings with Tomoe.

He had liked what the older man had done to him. It made him ashamed, but he had actually _enjoyed_ it. That's the main reason why he felt disgusting and dirty – he had liked what the man had done to him.

"Thank you," he whispered to the Haruno girl.

The tears that were pouring down Sakura's face began to dampen his shirt, making the blonde feel them through the t-shirt. "Sakura?" he asked. "Are you… crying?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because nobody should have to go through what you did! No one! And there was nothing I could do. You're one of the nicest, brightest people in the entire world… and I wasn't able to help you. Why did this happen to you?"

_Because I'm an Uzumaki_, Naruto thought but didn't say aloud. Instead, his voice murmured, "I don't know."

He turned to his friend, arms wrapping around her shoulders. He had done this to see how she was faring with the news. To his surprise, Sakura stood up on her toes and placed her lips against his. The blonde's eyes widened as Sakura slid hers shut. Neither of them broke the embrace. If anything, they clung to each other more.

_Kyuubi-kun's Corner!_

_Gah__… why did I make Sakura nice in this fic? Usually, she's a bitch… or a friend… but since I mean to have this last for a long time, I needed something besides NaruSasu to distract me, neh? Whoosh! So, I hope you stay tuned. I have no bloody clue how this fic is going to turn out. Honestly. _

_Oh yes, and on a final note – I glompeth my FOUR HUNDREDTH reviewer… ((glomps)) _**Dark Mimiru-chan**. _Thanks Dark-chan… I was really happy that I hit four hundred. _

_And thank you to everyone else who has reviewed. I LOVE YOU ALL!_


	30. When Someone Comes

_Heylo minna-san! Well, looking through the reviews that I got for Chapter 29… I can honestly say that… none of you liked the ending with the tiddy bit of SakuNaru. To tell you all the truth – I hate that pairing. I hate it with a passion. And frankly… I don't think it would ever work out, once in a million years. However, I needed a side plot and I had decided on this a long time ago. But if anyone remembers the letter to Kyuubi in his diary… he said he liked a guy… not a girl. So will this work out? I have no fucking clue._

****

**I Bleed Black**

**Chapter 30**

After a moment, Naruto came to, and a vision of the person he _actually_ liked popped into his head. He stepped back. Looking at Sakura's face, he shyly looked away.

"I-I'm sorry," he murmured.

Sakura, although a little disappointed that the kiss had been broken prematurely, sat on the couch, looking sympathetic. "It's okay," she said, leaning on his shoulder. "It's okay."

_Is it_? Naruto wanted to know. _Is it really okay_?

Unfortunately, his mind didn't have any type of answer in store for him.

"Sakura…?" Naruto began to ask a moment later, when his heartbeat had returned to normal and he could think straight again.

"Yes?"

"Why… why did you do that?" Naruto asked.

Sakura looked at the blonde, her inner self giving her the script for how to answer this. "For a really long time… I had a crush on you Naruto," she said softly, staring down at her folded hands in her lap. "Going after Sasuke was easy. Everyone knew everything about him… so it wouldn't be strange to see one more girl glomping him or whatever. But… you… you're different. I… I've always been afraid that you wouldn't like me."

Naruto could hardly believe what he was hearing. _Haruno Sakura_ had a crush on _him_, Uzumaki _Naruto_, the loser of the entire campus? It had to be some sort of auditory hallucination on his part.

In response to Sakura's confession, Naruto managed to stutter out, "W-what?"

"I think I'm in love with you," Sakura said, looking up into the blue eyes of the blonde. Her green eyes were full of fear and determination.

Naruto's eyes widened as Sakura confirmed his supposed auditory hallucination. "A-are you sure you're okay, Sakura?" he asked, trembling slightly. Whether it was from fear or excitement, the blonde never would know.

Sakura nodded, staring at her hands again. "Will… will you be my boyfriend?" she whispered.

Naruto, not really knowing what else to do, just stared at her. After a moment, he nodded. "H-hai," he agreed in a stammer.

"Really?" Sakura asked, happiness alighting her green irises.

Naruto nodded.

Sakura threw her arms around his neck, meeting her lips with his. Naruto allowed his eyes to slide shut as he wrapped his arms around his friend – no, _girl_friend. He strengthened the kiss with Sakura – the first kiss that Naruto had had in an _actual_ relationship.

Not even the kiss with Sasuke all those weeks ago counted as a relationship. Not like this one.

Sasuke arrived at martial arts practice a full fifteen minutes early, to make _sure_ that he would be here when Naruto arrived. He was not pleased to see Sakura and Naruto arrive hand in hand. Both were wearing broad smiles across their face, as though _Sakura _had been the one there for Naruto all those times when in reality, it was _Sasuke_.

Sasuke felt the jealousy about to engulf him once again. Neji, seeing this, came over and hit him upside the head.

Sasuke grunted with pain. Neji smirked. "Bad, Sasuke," he muttered. "You're not supposed to act like a bulldog around him. Especially during class."

The Uchiha sighed, his fathomless eyes softening as they stared at Naruto. "I know," he said heavily. "But… I don't like it. I get a bad feeling when he's around her. It's like she's using him for something or other."

"Have more faith in Uzumaki-kun," Neji advised. "If you were meant to be with Uzumaki, it will happen. All these things are predestined. You cannot change the path that Fate has set before you."

Sasuke sighed and shook his head. Neji was dependable, that was true. However, his "Fate Lectures" as they have been dubbed, could drive any _sane_ person up a wall.

And Sasuke liked to believe he was sane.

"Oy, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled.

Sasuke focused his eyes, only to find the boy's face mere inches from his. Stumbling back, and breathing harshly, Sasuke stared at the blonde, wide-eyed.

"D-DOBE!" he yelled. "What do you think you're doing?"

Naruto shrugged, his grin back on his face. "Ne, ne, I have something to tell you!" he said in a whisper as Kurenai began to take roll.

"What is it?"

"Sakura-chan asked me to be her boyfriend," Naruto told Sasuke excitedly.

Sasuke felt an iceberg slip into his stomach. _No, it couldn't be,_ he thought. "And what did you say?" he asked in a somewhat normal tone.

Thankfully, Naruto wasn't smart enough to pick up the subtle changes.

"I said 'yes', of course," Naruto replied immediately. "Baka."

_Yeah, I really am an idiot, aren't I?_ Sasuke thought, staring at his friend wistfully as Naruto went over to talk to Sakura again. _I guess its my own fault though… I kept hoping that you were at least bisexual. Guess I was wrong._

The class was soon split up into their groups. Before Sakura and Naruto separated, Naruto kissed the girl passionately.

Sasuke couldn't help staring at the boy and girl. He didn't want to believe what he was seeing, but seeing is believing therefore it had to be true. He felt horrible. He knew that he had no chance, and so he had tried to brace himself for this moment.

Why did all of his defenses have to crumble right now, of all times?

"Sasuke!" Jiraiya yelled, bringing his fist down on the Uchiha's head.

"Ow!" Sasuke yelped, rubbing the sore spot and looking up angrily at Jiraiya. "What was that for?"

"For not paying attention. I told you and Neji to go and fight!" the white-haired instructor yelled back.

"Oh," was all the brunette could find himself saying.

The two boys moved to their respective positions. Neji noticed Sasuke's lack of attention on the fight and became the first one to attack. He flew in, like a feather on the wind, and aimed for the Uchiha's joints. It had been what the Hyuuga had been trained to do.

He would take down an opponent little by little, giving them less and less control over their body as he went. It was an art he had perfected over the years he had been training.

However, even in his mind-wandering state, the Uchiha had been able to block mostly all of his attacks. The only ones he had gotten right so far caused Sasuke a broken left pinky and a jammed thumb on his right hand.

"Concentrate on the fight, Uchiha," Neji taunted in a very un-Neji-like way. "Or else I might have to get serious."

"I…" the Uchiha was about to say something when a spinning kick from Neji hit him across the chin and sent him flying backwards. He landed on the ground hard, skidding a bit.

"Itai," he muttered to himself as he glared at Neji. The boy had taken advantage of his state in battle in order to defeat him.

_Idiot, that's what you're supposed to do in a fight_, a little voice in the back of his head was telling him. _Now get up and focus!_

Sasuke agreed with this voice. He jumped to his feet and rushed at Neji. The attacks were blocked and counters were made. It was a deadly dance of pain. Blood flowed like ribbons, adorning their clothing.

It was beautiful. Pain, rage, betrayal, trust, and friendship were all thrown into each attack and block. There was no way to follow the dance by normal eyes alone.

Jiraiya, Gaara and Naruto watched Neji and Sasuke go at it from the sidelines. All three of them were surprised at the ferocity that was screaming in this fight. It was primal, brutal, feral, and yet in its destructiveness, there was a hope of rebirth.

It was hard to explain. It was a dance that left the spectators breathless and awed.

When it finally ended – Jiraiya calling it to a stop, it took a few moments for both Gaara and Naruto to move.

When they finally did move, Naruto charged over to Sasuke and glomped him, knocking both of them to the ground. The blonde was straddling Sasuke's hips, staring down at the Uchiha with an almost childlike innocence.

In a small voice that could have made the boy mistaken for a ten-year old, Naruto said, "Good job, Sasuke-kun!"

His smile was child-like, innocent and beautiful. Sasuke almost reached up and pulled Naruto into a hug, but managed to restrain himself at the last second.

"Get off me, dobe," the Uchiha snapped at him instead.

Naruto pouted, bottom lip sticking out in an entirely too-cute way as he tucked his chin back and lowered his eyes. Sasuke had to tense his muscles in order to _stop_ himself from flipping their positions and kissing the boy to death.

"Mou… I come over here to wish you a good job and you insult me," Naruto mumbled. "Meanie!"

He stood up and turned away from Sasuke, crossing his arms. Sasuke smiled when he saw this act. He loved Naruto – he knew that… and the boy's stance was reminding him of one of the reasons why.

Naruto was just too cute for his own good.

_Kyuubi-Kun's Korner!_

_I'm lazy, so I'm ending it there! MWA HAA HAA! I'll be back soon with Chapter 31… yeap yeap… I just couldn't resist leaving it off like that. _

_First, I think this chapter was waaaay tooo heterosexual. I have nothing against Hetsex, but… this is a shonen ai story… het stuff kinda throws off everything else. So I changed to Sasuke's point of view. It's always easy to switch back to yaoi – because Sasuke's a possessive pervert!_


	31. Out There

_I'll try and make this a long chapter, but I don't know what it will be – considering that I'm not doing anything yet. Just a fair warning – while Sakura and Naruto are going out, Sasuke makes a deal with someone else. I thought about this pairing for a VERY long time, which is why this chapter is so goddamn late before deciding... ehhh, why not? Whoosh, I dunno... it could be just because I wanted to write a sex scene, but whatever. _

**I Bleed Black**

**Chapter 31**

Sasuke looked at the clock on the side of his bed. The bright red letters spelled out "3:17." He growled under his breath. _What the hell am I doing up this early for?_ Sasuke wondered to himself.

Trying to get back to sleep, the Uchiha found that he couldn't, for some reason or another. Sighing in a frustrated way, the boy finally threw the covers off him, glaring at the darkness that surrounded him. Hopping from one foot to the other in the cold and hugging his arms tightly around him, Sasuke tried to figure out what he should do. Shaking his head, he sneaked a glance over at Naruto.

His breath almost caught in his throat. The blonde looked like an Angel, at least. Smiling softly at the boy, Sasuke yawned. He was tired, and he knew he needed his sleep. He remembered that he always slept better when he was around Naruto than anyone or anywhere else, he rushed over to the blonde's bed.

"Sorry, Naruto," he murmured, hoping the boy wasn't going to mind what he was about to do. Instead of giving himself time to think it over, Sasuke lifted the edge of the blanket and slipped underneath. Praying to whoever was listening, he hoped that Naruto would not try to kill him once the Uzumaki woke up. Snuggling into Naruto's warmth and unconsciously wrapping his arms around him, Sasuke fell into a fitful sleep.

The next morning dawned beautifully over the horizon. Sasuke, still asleep, buried his nose into Naruto's back. His subconscious was a fuzzy dreamland from the warmth that surrounded him.

It was around ten in the morning that Naruto's eyes fluttered open. The first thing he noticed was that he was embraced with a feeling that was blossoming in his chest. It was also a lot more comfortable and warmer than what he remembered going to sleep in.

His back stiffened as he realized that someone was in the bed with him. He slowly turned around, trying to see who it was. The sight that met him made the boy smile and chid himself for being so afraid.

Sasuke laid in the bed next to him, curled up, arms wrapped around Naruto's torso. Naruto felt as though he could just stare at the Uchiha sleeping forever. The normally stoic boy's face was colored with a light blush as his lips were curved up in a smile. Naruto felt some kind of feeling take over him as he gently put his arms around Sasuke, nuzzling into the Uchiha's neck. He stayed in that position for a moment before reality hit him.

What if nuzzling someone wasn't something that normal friends did? Feeling immediately guilty, the blonde shook slightly. It wasn't that big of a shiver, but it was big enough so that Sasuke woke up.

The brunette's eyes opened slowly, glazed over with drowsiness. He was about to fall back into slumber when his brain realized the position that he was in. Conveniently forgetting his strange wake earlier that morning, Sasuke froze.

"D-Dobe!" he yelped. "What are you doing in my bed?"

Naruto turned red with anger. "Asshole!" he shouted back. "If you haven't noticed, this is _my_ bed!"

Sasuke immediately flushed upon hearing this. He jumped off the bed. "S-Sorry," he mumbled, purposely not looking at Naruto.

The blonde, instead of furthering the argument, just shrugged. "Whatever," he said.

The two were left in an awkward silence after that. Both wanted to break the silence, but neither knew what to say. It was about a half an hour later that both boys realized that it was a Sunday and that neither had any classes.

"Oy, dobe," Sasuke finally spoke first. "Do you want to spar today?"

Naruto shook his head. "Sorry, Sasuke, but I promised Sakura that she and I could hang out today."

Sasuke felt jealousy rise within him but he pushed it back down. If he had no dignity, the Uchiha would have pouted and been outwardly upset. However, he did retain some dignity through the years and he was not a childish boy who would pout and cry and scream whenever he didn't get what he wanted.

That isn't to say that the Uchiha didn't _want_ to pout and cry and scream. He just didn't.

"All right then," he finally responded, feeling a strange tightness in his chest. "Have fun, Naruto."

Naruto stared at his friend, who had fallen on the couch that had recently been shoved into the dorm room, turning his black eyes to the television. Slowly, without any hesitation, Naruto walked over and sat on Sasuke's stomach.

"Oy, bastard," Naruto began, "do you want to come with us? I'm sure Sakura-chan won't mind."

Sasuke stared up at the blonde, folding his hands behind his head. "Isn't this supposed to be a date between you two?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nothing like that. It's just hanging out, and hanging out involved friends – like you." He smiled down at the Uchiha, and Sasuke realized that he could only say "yes" to what the blonde was asking of him.

However, he was going to say it in his Sasuke-ish way.

"If you insist, usuronkontachi," Sasuke grumbled, looking coldly at Naruto. "Now get off me."

"Sorry!" Naruto mumbled sarcastically, scrambling off Sasuke.

Sasuke sat up, clicking off the television. He stars up at Naruto, who wasn't running to get his shoes and rush out the door. That's when a thought occurred to the Uchiha.

"Oy, Naruto," he said. The blonde blinked several times as though coming out of a deep thinking stage.

"What?" the Uzumaki asked dreamily.

"When and where are you meeting Sakura?"

"Oh, she's coming by here in about five minutes."

"And what do you plan to do?"

"Eh, whatever she wants."

"So you have no plans?"

"No."

The two boys sat in silence for a while, both thinking their own thoughts. A loud knocking on the door brought them back to reality. Naruto bounded over to the doorway and opened it, revealing his girlfriend.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan!" the blonde greeted enthusiastically.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun," was her reply. Naruto stepped aside, giving the girl room to come inside. Sakura stepped into the front part of the apartment.

"So, what do you want to do today?" Naruto asked. "Oh, and I hope you don't mind Sasuke joining us."

Sakura smiled. "Of course not," she told the blonde quickly. "Sasuke-kun is welcome to join us." She looked at the Uchiha, who was leaning on the couch in a casual way, face unreadable as always. She sighed, and then perked up when she heard Naruto say something.

"What?" she asked, looking back at her boyfriend.

"What do you want to do today?" Naruto asked.

"If it's okay with you, why don't we just hang out here?" Sakura wanted to know.

Naruto nodded. He showed Sakura around the apartment, just as a thing to do. Sasuke watched them talk and laugh from his spot on the couch. He noticed when Naruto moved closer to the girl. He watched them as they shared a chaste kiss. However, once the two began to use their tongues, he found that he could no longer stay here and calm. But he couldn't break the two apart. Naruto looked happy. Sasuke wanted him to stay that way.

That meant he had to leave for a while and give the two some time to hang out alone.

When the couple broke their kiss, Sasuke gave a gruff, "I just remembered something I have to do," before walking quickly out the door.

Once outside of the dorm room, Sasuke wondered what he should do. He realized that there were only two places that he could go to at the moment: Shikamaru's or Neji's.

Deciding to go with the latter of the two, a few minutes later found Sasuke in front of Neji's dorm room. Hesitantly, the Uchiha lifted up his hand to knock.

_I'm here, no turning back_, he thought as he hammered his fist on the door.

Neji soon answered, looking somewhat puzzled to see the Uchiha standing there. Wordlessly, he let the boy in. Immediately, Sasuke realized that this room was much different from his and Naruto's room. It was slightly smaller and was only equipped with enough furniture for one person.

"You live in a single?" he asked.

Neji stared at him for a moment, with a look that said that Sasuke was stating the obvious. "Why are you here, Uchiha?" he finally asked, not moving his eyes from Sasuke's.

Sasuke broke the silent staring contest as he turned his gaze to the wall. He really didn't know why he was here. He was just angry, hurt and confused when he saw Sakura and Naruto making out. He had just realized that he couldn't stay there without going insane because of jealousy and slaughtering Sakura.

"I... don't know," he said softly.

Neji snorted in disbelief. Sasuke's eyes snapped back to the Hyuuga's. "What?" the Uchiha wanted to know.

"I think I know why you are here."

Sasuke didn't answer. Instead, he waited for Neji to continue.

The Hyuuga boy did not make him wait long. "You saw Uzumaki and Haruno kissing, am I correct?" Neji asked, though his eyes said that he knew exactly what he was saying and that it was true.

:Sasuke looked surprised.

"By your surprise, you have confirmed my accuracy."

Wordlessly, the Uchiha nodded.

Neji sighed. "You're hopelessly in love with him, aren't you?"

A blush and a nod answered the Hyuuga.

Neji stared at the other boy, an expression somewhat like kindness hidden in his eyes. "We're in the same boat, you and I," he commented dryly.

Sasuke stared at him. "How?"

"Both of us love a boy who we know doesn't love us back. And if they do acknowledge us as a friend, it's nothing past that." Upon seeing the feral, jealous look in Sasuke's eyes, Neji paused. "No, Uchiha, I am not in love with Uzumaki. The boy I love is much less... open."

"Who?"

Neji gazed at the other scrutinizing. Sighing, he simply said, "Gaara."

"Gaara?!"

Nod.

"I see what you mean."

Neji and Sasuke were silent after that. Neji, Sasuke remembered, was a year older than him, making the boy fifteen. Both boys seemed to be sizing each other up, not realizing the strange atmosphere of understanding around them. Both wanted someone they couldn't have. Both wanted – no, _needed_ – to be touched, to be loved.

Neji looked Sasuke up and down. "Here's an offer," Neji's low voice cut through the silence. "A way to vent off the troubled regrets of unrequited love. Also, you can think of it as practice for when you actually openly go after Naruto."

"So what you're suggesting is just sex."

"Exactly."

Sasuke thought about this for a moment. The idea was not a bad one, he had to admit slowly. He didn't mind no feelings in it. In fact – he found that that was the part that most appealed to him.

"Okay," he agreed a moment later. "Deal. Just for sex."

----

Meanwhile, Sakura and Naruto were sitting side by side on the couch that was in the blonde's dormroom. He was smiling, still not believing his luck about scoring such a really pretty girlfriend as Sakura.

"What are you staring at me for?" Sakura teased playfully, smiling at the blonde. She was a little disappointed that Sasuke had not stuck around, but she had to mask that disappointment.

"You're beautiful," Naruto breathed, a blush staining his cheeks.

Sakura giggled at this comment. She had to pretend to be bashfully pleased with him. Inside, however, she felt a gnawing ache in his chest from what she was _actually_ doing with the blonde. Sighing, she forced her mind not to think about that as she hugged Naruto.

Looking up, she saw the blonde staring down at her with sparkling cerulean eyes. She instantly felt even more horrible.

"Neh, Sakura-chan, would you like to see some of my poetry?" he asked, wanting to make her happy.

"You write poetry?" Sakura asked. Naruto nodded to her.

"Yeah, I write a lot of it. Most of its... depressing and shit, but some of its not as depressing."

"Sure, I'd love to see it."

"Okay, wait here."

Naruto jumped up. Sakura stared after him as he hunted after his sketchbook.

_He really is cute... too bad Sasuke-kun's already stolen my heart_, she thought to herself, sitting back up. _It makes me wish I had fallen for Naruto instead_.

Naruto came back and bounced onto the couch next to her. Sakura smiled as she felt herself go up and down. It was kind of like riding a ship or something.

"Here," Naruto showed her a page of the sketchbook. Sakura took the book from his hands and stared down at the page.

There was a picture of a map, and at first Sakura thought it was a treasure map or an actual map. It turned out to be a map to places like "The Castle of Insanity" and "The Lake of Love" and "The City of Angels." Basically, she supposed, it was like the road map of life. The poem explained it better for her. It was entitled "Out There."

_There are things beyond our reach_

_That is what they always preach_

_They don't want us to know_

_What's out there beyond the stars?_

_What's outside of our own heads? _

_The don't want us to know_

_Sometimes there's a love that waits_

_Just beyond where we can run_

_Step outside your fence and gates_

_There's a world waiting out there_

_Beyond the Sun_

_Teens are so out of place_

_That is what they always say_

_Time is of the essence..._

..._right..._

_I don't think they really care_

_They just don't want us out there_

_They don't want us to know_

_There's a wide world_

_Yes, a wide world_

_Just waiting_

_Cuz there ain't nowhere else to go_

_Just waiting_

_For you_

"Wow, Naruto-kun," she said. "That's beautiful." She was awed by how much Naruto could draw and write. Most of the year and a half that she had been in school, she had expected – like many others – that he was just an idiot. She should have known better. Only the best in art and creative writing were allowed to come here. It appeared that Naruto excelled at both.

"You like it, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, his voice showing how much he hoped the answer was positive.

Sakura nodded, flipping through the pages of the book. Each page had a poem with an intricately drawn picture to accompany the poem. Naruto stared at her, a smile on his face. He was glad he found something that the girl liked.

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

_Okay, this is for everyone who reviewed so far... whee, I'm almost to five hundred! YAY Five hundred! Bah... KNOCK ON WOOD (does so)) Anyways, since I don't make much sense, I'm going to shut up right now... yay..._


	32. I'll Smile

_Hi people, I'm glad at the response I got for the chapter 31… though many of you expressed that you hated the NaruSaku coupling, and I'm sorry. I hate it too. Why its in here, you may ask? Well, I really don't know, to tell you the truth. I tend not to plan ahead, so I have no bloody clue when this story ends, how it ends, and how much angst is left in store. Hopefully lots of angst though, cuz I love angst. DON'T ASK ME WHY! I JUST DO! SO NYAH!_

**I Bleed Black**

**Chapter 32**

A few weeks had passed since the arrangement was forged between one Uchiha Sasuke and one Hyuuga Neji. Since that time, Sasuke often stole over to the other's dorm to release some of the tension that built up being around Naruto and Sakura.

Sasuke wasn't sure why he kept going back to Neji's. Maybe it was just for the fact that he was needed there, as much as he needed Neji – Neji needed him, too. He belonged, in a twisted sense of the word. He wasn't sure what was going to happen if one of them should confess their love to those they love, but he didn't care.

He would live in the now, and that's all that mattered.

So it was late one night – perhaps early morning – that Sasuke wearily made his way home. Having just been screwed, the boy limped along, not regarding his surroundings as much as he usually would have. The moon had long since set when Sasuke finally made it to Naruto's dormroom. Taking out the key, he quickly unlocked the door.

His first reaction to his home was, _why the fuck is it so bright?_

The answer to this question was that the kitchen light was on. Naruto sat at the table, looking down, with a mug of hot chocolate in between his hands. Sasuke just stared at the form. He could feel the weariness waft off Naruto and strike at him, as though it was _his _fault.

Slowly, as though it took a lot of effort, Naruto raised his head and faced Sasuke. A relieved smile broke out of his face, though there was something cold flickering in his eyes.

"You're back," he said, his voice expressionless. "That's good."

Sasuke looked surprised. "You… were waiting up for me?" he wanted to know.

With a slight nod, Naruto stood up, wobbling on his feet. His limbs were screaming at him… from what had happened earlier that night. This was one of the reasons he had stayed up. He had to make sure that Sasuke was okay – that Naruto was the only one that had been preyed upon.

Sasuke studied his roommate. Something was off. Something seemed… not completely right. The blonde was pale, gaunt. He was wearing a long-sleeved turtleneck and a pair of baggy black jeans. The boy wore socks on his feet, making the Uchiha realize that the only skin he saw on the other boy was Naruto's head and hands. Everything else was covered.

There had to be a reasonable explanation for that. Usually, Naruto complained about how constricting anything but T-shirts were. Yet here the boy stood, willingly dressed in a turtleneck. That alone sent warning bells off in the Uchiha's mind.

He stepped closer to Naruto. The blonde held his ground, though he definitely seemed shaky.

"Naruto, are you okay?" Sasuke asked, concerned.

There was a tiny flicker in Naruto's worn blue eyes. It seemed as though something inside of him had died, the light puffed out like a candle's flame.

"I'm fine," he replied, eyes not meeting Sasuke's. Instead, Naruto focused on a very boring piece of the wall. It was better than facing the emotions that always were running through those onyx eyes whenever Sasuke was around him. Naruto was not as dumb as he appeared to be – he was observant of several things. He knew that Sasuke was going off – probably with some girl – at least three times a week to screw.

It wasn't that hard to figure out. Sasuke was always tired and a mess when he returned home. Also, the Uchiha smelled of sex, which Naruto's fox-enhanced nose could pick up very easily.

Naruto didn't care who the girl Sasuke was constantly having sex with was. He didn't care for any of that. However, he did care about Sasuke. He wanted to see the boy smile like they had done once, when it had just been the two of them – and Kyubi – living wherever they could and without any cares.

Sasuke never used to be this secretive.

Sasuke never used to disappear, only to return in the early morning, if not late afternoon the next day.

Sasuke never used to intentionally hide things from Naruto.

Naruto felt as though he were losing his first friend. However, that had already happened. Kyubi was Naruto's first friend. Kyubi had died – at the hands of Shukaku – and so, Naruto had lost him, but Kyubi's spirit… his advice… lingered on in Naruto's mind.

Deciding that he had been ignored long enough, Sasuke grabbed the blonde's shoulder. "Naruto!" he growled out, eyes boring into the blue orbs in front of him.

Naruto winced when he felt Sasuke's iron grip on his shoulder. It hurt. The boy just happened to grab where a nasty gash from one of _their_ knives was. He broke the Uchiha's grasp, stumbling backwards. Tripping over the chair, Naruto landed sprawled on the ground. Before Sasuke could do anything, Naruto kicked out at the brunette.

There was a look of fear in his eyes as he grabbed his wounded arm and slid away from his roommate. "D-don't touch me!" he yelled, burying his head in his knees, which he had drawn up to his chest.

Sasuke stared at the boy. The after-buzz that he was normally in after a round or two with Neji had vanished, leaving him concerned and worried for the blonde in front of him. Naruto seemed to be breaking. Just like he had months ago, when Orochimaru had…

But… Sasuke had killed Tomoe, right? That meant that Orochimaru didn't have a boss to tell him what to do, right? There really wasn't much running through Sasuke's head that was logical. All of his thoughts swirled and danced, confusing him more and more with every sentence that materialized in his mind.

Naruto… Naruto needed help! Sasuke's brain forced the brunette back into action, staring at the blonde.

"Naruto?" he asked softly, not wanting to startle the Uzumaki. He kneeled in front of the fox-boy, looking at him with worried eyes. The blonde didn't look at him. He was shivering, quaking all over. "What's wrong, Naruto?"

Naruto shook his head, trying to gain control over himself, but he couldn't. He didn't want to be himself anymore. He just wanted to die – just wanted to leave this place and go somewhere else. He wanted to go somewhere where people didn't hate him just because he was _different_ from the majority. It pissed off the blonde how little people thought of him.

And for things that he couldn't control.

Sasuke finally put two and two together in his head. Rage flashed across his fathomless irises as he put a hand on Naruto's warm cheek. The cerulean blue eyes looked up sorrowfully to meet him.

"Who did it?" the Uchiha asked. His voice was deadly quiet, dangerous in tone but also held an aspect of caring and kindness. "Who the fuck did this to you?"

"Nobody did nothin'," Naruto mumbled, his eyes sliding to the floor. He couldn't tell Sasuke. Sasuke would just blame himself – and it wasn't Sasuke's fault.

Naruto would never bring pain upon his friends. That was one of his rules of living – never betray or hurt a friend intentionally. When he lost his memory – it hadn't counted because it hadn't been intentional, considering that Naruto wasn't Naruto back then.

Just like Naruto wasn't Naruto right now.

"Naruto, stop fucking lying to me and _answer the damn question!_" Sasuke growled, almost wanting to grab the boy and shake him. But he didn't know the extent of the blonde's injuries, so the Uchiha managed not to shake the trembling figure.

The Uzumaki fox-boy shook his head rapidly. There was no way he was going to answer Sasuke's question. Sasuke would just get hurt. Besides, it wasn't like the Uchiha was around much anymore.

"You don't care," Naruto found himself mumbling steadily, eyes unfocused. He could barely feel Sasuke's hand on his cheek as he stared at nothingness. "You're not around anymore. Always off fucking. Yep, yep. That's what Sasuke does with his days. He fucks people." The blonde let out a small peal of laughter. "And Sasuke think Naruto don't notice when Sasuke leave, but Naruto always notice. Naruto always sad to see Sasuke go. So Naruto got worried when Naruto got into trouble. Naruto thought Sasuke was in trouble. So Naruto didn't even bother getting medicine on Naruto's injuries. He thought that Sasuke would need the supplies more if Sasuke was hurt. So Naruto stayed up and waited for Sasuke to come home."

Naruto paused, rocking back and forth. He giggled, though it was mirthless, hollow sound. "Sasuke came back very late tonight. Sasuke wasn't in trouble, like Naruto was worried for. Naruto spent the last several hours staying up for nothing. Yep. Naruto is silly that way. Naruto is stupid that way. That's why no one likes Naruto."

Sasuke stared at the blonde in shock during the boy's entire speech, feeling rage boil in his blood during it. Not against Naruto, per se, but against those that had done… whatever they had done to Naruto. Of course, he was partly angry at Naruto for allowing whoever had done this to Naruto to do this to him. The blonde was no pushover in a fight, Sasuke knew that from experience, but that didn't mean that he didn't have his weaknesses.

A light went off in Sasuke's head. Did that mean that it was Akatsuki that had attacked him? Naruto was fast – no one was usually able to touch him, save for Gaara and sometimes Sasuke or Neji. They had trained to match his speed with their own, so it wasn't that much of a problem anymore.

So there had to be a reason that Naruto was sitting here in pain. _There had better be a damn good reason_, Sasuke thought to himself while Naruto was still speaking. When he heard the last line of what Naruto had said, he felt the rage break free and he brought his hand up and sharply smacked Naruto across the face.

The boy allowed his head to move with the blow, a surprised look coming across his features. His eyes turned back to Sasuke, shaking.

"_Never _say no one likes you, Naruto," he growled. "I nearly died trying to save you – and so did Neji and Gaara. You have a _girlfriend_, who cares for you or else she wouldn't _be_ your girlfriend. What the hell is with this self-pitying shit? It doesn't suit you and it definitely pisses me off."

Naruto lowered his head, not wanting to anger Sasuke further. Sasuke immediately regretted his rash actions.

"Come on, Naruto," he said in a tired, worn voice. "Let's get you cleaned up."

Naruto shook his head. "Not 'til you take a shower."

Sasuke felt his left eye twitch as he turned back to the blonde. "Why?"

"You smell like sex… too strong," the blonde murmured to him, a blush on his face.

Sasuke chuckled to himself. So _that_ was how Naruto had known about Sasuke off with Neji – though he thought that Sasuke was off with some random girl. Sasuke thought about it for a moment, considered telling Naruto the truth before shaking his head.

"Fine," he agreed softly. Let the blonde believe what he wanted to. It wasn't as though Sasuke admitted anything.

He quickly took a shower, pulling on his pajamas before exiting the bathroom. Naruto was still curled up in the kitchen.

"Come on, Naruto," Sasuke said, holding out his hand. "We need to fix up your injuries."

Naruto nodded sullenly and allowed Sasuke to pull him to his feet. He followed the boy into the bedroom, following Sasuke's directions to take off his shirt. Sasuke looked at the boy in surprise as Naruto carefully peeled the dark green cloth away from his skin. He stood with his back towards the Uchiha, to give the brunette a better view of his injuries.

A gash sliced through his shoulder and went down to just above his pants. Several smaller cuts were everywhere, as though whoever had done this had tried to make a design and failed. Dried blood and bits of cloth were on the wounds. Naruto sighed dejectedly. Even that small motion sent pain through him.

Sasuke just stared in disbelief. Naruto had stayed up, in a cramped position at the kitchen table, waiting for him – when he had _this_ on his back. Sasuke immediately felt guilt wash over him. Slowly, he ordered Naruto to lay on his bed, back towards the ceiling while he went and fetched the medical kit.

Rolling the computer chair over, Sasuke carefully began to cut away pieces of cloth that clung to the blood. He wet a washcloth with water and began to clean off the cuts, hoping that none of them were infected. If they were… Sasuke didn't even want to think about that right now.

It wasn't something that was important anyway. He had to work on bandaging this. The large gash was still bleeding sluggishly. How long ago had this happened? Who did it? Why didn't Naruto go straight to Tsunade-sama?

The questions flew around Sasuke's head but refused to be answered. As soon as he was done cleaning, he spread some disinfectant on the injuries before wrapped them correctly. He wasn't sure that Naruto would be able to fight like this. He was about to voice the question, but found that his words wouldn't reach Naruto.

The blonde was asleep.

With a small smile, Sasuke did like he had done so many times already. He pulled out the boy's sketchbook and flipped through it while watching over Naruto. Even though he was tired, he would have nightmares if he didn't perform this task.

Finally finding a poem that he had yet to read, he checked the date (for Naruto had a strange habit of dating his work) and saw that it was just made no more than four days ago. He read "I'll Smile," mouthing the words as he went along. And as he read it… he had absolutely _no idea_ what the boy was talking about.

_Maybe I never realized_

_The times we spent together_

_Meant this much to me_

_I know I love you_

_I know you love me_

_But now you leave me_

_Against your will_

_My tears you will not see_

_Instead I'll wear a happy smile_

_So that you can remember me_

_Not sad! Never sad_

_To be here with you_

_Instead, I'm glad that we have_

_This one moment_

_Make it last forever_

_Make it never end_

_I want time to freeze right now_

_So we could be like this forever_

_But time does not heed my wishes_

_Nor does it listen to my heart_

_Time goes on and you leave me here_

_And I wish that it wasn't so_

_I watch your back, tears in my eyes_

_But I will not let them fall_

_I will not chance_

_That you will not turn around_

_And see me like this_

_You have to remember my smile_

_You have to forget my tears_

_I know you will be back_

_So I'll end this with hope_

_I'll end this on a happy note_

_I'll be waiting to welcome you back_

_I'll be waiting to see your face_

_I'll be waiting to hold you_

_In my arms once more_

_Until that day_

_I'll smile at you_

_I'll smile forever_

_I'll smile to hide my pain_

_I'll smile to hide my tears_

_I'll smile to hide my fears_

_Until you come_

_I'll wear a mask_

_That smiles at the world_

Sasuke noticed that this poem did not have an accompanying picture. _Maybe he hasn't gotten around to it yet_, Sasuke thought, but he knew better. If Naruto was going to add a picture, he would have at least already sketched something.

And that's when it hit him. Naruto wasn't going to draw a picture.

The poem was his picture. The poem spoke of wearing a mask, making the tears and pain invisible.

Making the person invisible.

Sasuke frowned slightly. He looked down at the blonde, leaning over, he planted a soft kiss on Naruto's forehead.

"I love you," he whispered. "Even if you will never return my feelings, I love you."

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

_Well, that's it for Chapter 32. Chapter 33 may take a while, because I have so many fics going on and I'm trying to update them all at once. It doesn't exactly work, but whatever. Anyways, has anyone besides me noticed the severe lack of yaoiness these days on FFN? It pisses me off!_

_This chapter is dedicated to Ookima-han because… well… I suppose its to make her feel better. She was depressed about the manga earlier and it inspired me to get off my lazy ass and write. Bah. _


	33. Drowning

_Hi everyone, I know its been a while since I've updated really… anything… and I have no actual excuse for that, believe it or not. Well, I do… I was angsting, but I can't say why. Though there are a few people who know what I'm talking about, I'm not telling the masses or else those involved with my angst – well, our angst, actually – would destroy me in several different ways… it would be more painful than if I was sicked on with a mob of fangirls… I know, I know… I'm one of the leading heads that say that there is no other way to torture someone than with a mob of fangirls, but right now… believe it – there are so many more ways. Especially when the heart is involved. _

_That said, I will apologize in advance for the overamount of angst that will populate these words. It is leaking from my own, so I can't really help it. Thanks to all who reviewed, it has kept me going with all of my fics, and I'm especially happy that people like this fic, considering how utterly random it is – and long… oh yes… it is very long! That being said, I shall present to you without further ado… chapter thirty-three!_

**I Bleed Black   
****Chapter 33**

Days had come and gone since Naruto had been attacked by whoever had done. Sasuke still didn't know who the culprits were, and Naruto was still refusing to tell him. It angered Sasuke that Naruto wouldn't tell him because he felt as though the blonde no longer trusted him. He felt as though Naruto no longer cared, even though he knew that such things weren't true.

Sasuke stared out of his window in math class. Although this was a school for the arts, it still had all the regular courses. He despised his teacher for reasons that he really didn't care to know. The white-haired Mizuki-sensei always seemed to be full of himself and too arrogant for his own good.

He also had a habit of smirking at Sasuke, which Sasuke had still yet to figure out _why_ that was happening. Sasuke let his thoughts drift as his eyes focused on the weather outside. It was a dreary day. Rain poured down on the windows.

Sasuke could barely see outside, could barely see past the splatter of water on the window that led to the dark gray sky. When Mizuki-sensei dismissed the class nearly ten minutes later, Sasuke was happy to get out of there. The teacher just smirked at him as he walked past.

If it wasn't for the students pushing slightly at his back, Sasuke would have stopped and demanded to know why the teacher did that. Still, because of the others in the classroom, he would have to save the confrontation for another day.

He was supposed to meet Naruto anyway. The blonde and him were supposed to go for ramen today. He was about to head over when someone slammed into him full force, knocking both of them backwards. Sasuke felt himself fall and managed not to hit his head on the concrete floor. A concussion didn't seem like a very good idea for the moment.

Looking down, his eyebrow furrowed when he saw Naruto.

"Naruto?" he asked, feeling a slight blush stain his cheeks. "What are you doing?"

"Lies…," he managed to gasp out and Sasuke could tell that the blonde was trying his hardest not to cry. "All of it… lies… I…"

Sasuke noticed a piece of paper flittering to the ground. It was tear-stained and the ink was smeared in some places, but the words were legible. The title, "Drowning" was the most water-logged. Whether Naruto had meant to do that or not, Sasuke would never know. Holding Naruto to him close, and ignoring those that were gathering around them, Sasuke read the song that was written on this paper.

_Got to hold on   
__To this life I'm living   
__Got to be strong   
__I can't show these tears   
__I'm drowning in_

_I'll take a photograph   
__It'll be my memory   
__I'll take one last shot   
__At what seems like history   
__I don't wanna give up   
__I don't wanna break up   
__I don't wanna see   
__The tear-filled ending   
__That we're drawing close to   
__I have to make it seem   
__Like I'm happy   
__I've gotta make my mask fit   
__Can't let the cracks show through_

_Gotta__ hold on   
__To this life I'm living   
__Gotta__ be strong   
__I can't show these tears   
__I'm drowning in_

_It's been so long   
__I don't know what to do   
__It's been so long   
__I don't know what to do   
__You say you like him   
__As a friend   
__Can't this all be one bad dream   
__That you're having his kid?   
__I don't want to see   
__A tearful ending   
__I want it to be   
__Like a fairy tale   
__Where we live happily ever after   
__But the fairy tale is fading   
__The dream seems like its shattered   
__I don't know what to do   
__I just don't know_

_Got to hold on   
__To this life I'm living   
__Got to be strong   
__I can't show these tears   
__I'm drowning in_

_No, can't show these tears   
__I can't make believe no more   
__I don't know what to do   
__But I can't keep on pretending   
__I don't know if I can hold on   
__Any longer   
__The tears are overtaking me   
__I'm drowning in my own sea   
__And I can't tell nobody   
__How it is I'm really feeling   
__Why is this real?_

_I've got to hold on   
__But my finger's slipping   
__Got to stay strong   
__But I'm still drowning_

Not wanting to attract any _more_ attention, for there was already a large crowd, Sasuke stuffed the paper in his pocket and managed to get the boy to his feet. The two began to walk over to the exit of the building. Since the dormroom was close by, Sasuke tried to make it there. Naruto wasn't helping much, and Sasuke was pretty much dragging the blonde along.

When they finally made it into the dormroom, Sasuke deposited Naruto in a chair at the kitchen table and closed and locked the door. Coming back over, the Uchiha took a seat across from him.

"All right, spill," he said, staring at his friend. Naruto had his arms folded and his face buried in the crook of his elbow.

"It was all lies!" he sobbed, finally looking up at Sasuke. "It… everything… was nothing to her."

"Her?" Sasuke questioned, though he had a sinking feeling he knew exactly who Naruto was talking about.

Slowly, in a quiet voice, he stared at the boy and murmured, "Sakura, right?"

Naruto could only nod.

"What happened?" Sasuke persisted, wondering what had made his best friend act like this. It wasn't like Naruto – he would wear his mask, just like Sasuke, faithfully. But something had made him break down – even in front of mass amounts of people.

It worried the Uchiha as well as intrigued him. What could have happened for Naruto to do a thing like that?

"Naruto, calm down," Sasuke whispered to his friend, absently ruffling the blonde's spikes. It always calmed the boy down, so Sasuke often used it as his secret weapon whenever he was annoyed with Naruto's antics.

Like every other time he had employed this technique, Naruto calmed down. He looked up at Sasuke with sorrowful blue eyes and no traces of any type of smile. The tears had disappeared and Sasuke found himself glad because of that.

"What happened, Naruto?" he asked again, hoping the blonde would answer him this time.

Naruto was silent, though he appeared more to be thinking than ignoring Sasuke, so Sasuke didn't say anything. Finally, Naruto sat up and heaved a deep sigh. He had calmed down enough to speak, though he was reluctant to.

"Whatever was going on between Sakura-chan and me…," he began slowly. "Whatever it was – a relationship, who knows? – it wasn't real. It was all a game of pretend. She never cared about me. She lied to me… and I believed her. I honest-to-God believed that there was someone in the world that actually could say 'I love you' to me and _mean_ it." He paused here, eyes becoming unfocused.

Sasuke felt a squirming in his stomach. It was all he could do not to jump on Naruto and proclaim his undying love for the blonde. Things like that only happened in his imagination – they could not happen in real life. Especially not with two people like Naruto and Sasuke.

"How do you know it's a lie?" Sasuke pressed, wanting to know everything about this. It wasn't so that he could gossip or what have you that he wanted to know. Sasuke wanted to know so that he could chose the best method of killing the bubble-gum haired girl.

Not realizing that Sasuke could be murderous to those that would dare touch him, Naruto continue to tell Sasuke what had happened.

**This Will Be Done As A Useless Flashback!**

_Naruto ran towards where he had agreed to meet Sakura-chan. The two of them had been growing closer, in his opinion, but that didn't change the fact that he still loved someone else. Yet he loved Sakura as well. She was always there for him, it seemed, much in the way that Sasuke was – only she would allow him to hold her hand, and other such things as a normal gesture. _

_He heard voices, which sounded like Sakura and someone else, though he couldn't distinguish who the someone else was. It was female, but that was all he knew. He was about to make his presence known, when he heard his own name pop up in the conversation. Deciding to eavesdrop for a bit, he stilled himself, straining his ears to pick up what was being said. _

_"I don't know how to break it to Naruto!" Sakura was sobbing softly. _

_"What do you mean?" the other voice replied, in a consoling manner. _

_"What else, Ino? I'm fucking pregnant!" _

_"Wait… but you haven't done it with Naruto, have you?"_

_"No – I did it with Lee-kun about two weeks ago and I'm late… and… I took the test and it was positive."_

_Naruto was stunned – two weeks… wait, they were together two weeks ago, which meant that Sakura not only had cheated on him with Lee, but had become impregnated with a child as a result of that. _

_"Sakura, why did you do it with Lee, though?" Ino asked, not being able to help herself. "You had Naruto, didn't you?"_

_Sakura paused here. "Because Naruto wasn't enough – I… I only went out with him to get closer to Sasuke," she confessed to her blonde friend. Both were unaware of the other blonde that was hiding somewhere nearby. _

_Upon hearing this, Naruto ran off, tears beginning to well up in his eyes._

**End the Random Useless Flashback**

Naruto was quiet after his explanation. He felt raw with betrayal and he hurt. At first, around Sakura, he had been wary… but then… then he had let his defenses down. And that was what had gotten him hurt – he had placed trust in his "girlfriend."

Sasuke was quiet after hearing about it. It was now that he realized just how hard Naruto had fallen for Sakura. The Uchiha felt anger coursing through him. He was going to murder Sakura… in several different ways, as he still hadn't decided on just one.

Naruto noticed the look going through Sasuke's eyes and he felt something in him vanish – a little bit of the sadness went away. It was comforting to know that Sasuke was angry because of what Sakura had done to Naruto. It was good to know that he had someone on his side no matter what.

Looking over the past few months, Naruto realized how little _he_ had been there for Sasuke, while Sasuke had always been there for him. It made him feel bad. He wanted to do something for Sasuke, but he didn't know what he could do.

"Don't… don't worry about it," he managed to get out, before Sasuke started looking around for available weaponry.

Sasuke turned his raging eyes on his blonde friend. Was Naruto out of his mind? Of course Sasuke would worry about it! Sasuke was going to kill that bitch, Sakura. She had put Naruto through pain just to get closer to _him_. It made him feel as though this was all his fault.

He shook his head. "How can you say that – after what she _did_ to you!" he growled. "That's betrayal, Naruto. Plain and simple, she didn't care about you."

Naruto winced as he heard Sasuke's words. He knew they were true, but something was trying to tell him that Sasuke was lying – that Sakura really did care about him. He didn't know what that something was, but he heard its voice in his head, trying to persuade him.

However, nothing really prepared him for what happened next. Sasuke obviously wasn't finished speaking, and so he continued.

"I don't understand how you can _let_ people push you around like its nothing!" the Uchiha was yelling passionately. "I don't understand how you keep on latching yourself to people who have no feelings for you – who don't care about you, and then you always ignore those that _do_ have feelings for you!"

Sasuke was beside himself, finally pouring everything out. He couldn't hold anything in too much after all that's been happening – he needed release, but he couldn't find Neji right now – Naruto needed him.

But that didn't stop Sasuke from finally unburdening everything he had been thinking for the past few weeks – ever since Naruto had begun going out with Sakura.

"You never realize those of us that _truly_ care for you!" he continued on, raising his voice, trembling ever so slightly. Whether this was from anger, fear or sorrow, no one would ever be able to tell. "You never realize… how much we… we care."

The mixture of emotions on Sasuke's face almost made Naruto want to cry. The Uchiha looked like he was about to burst into tears. Naruto didn't understand what Sasuke was saying. Slowly, the brunette sunk into his chair once again. He tried to hold back the tears that were coming to his eyes – tried to be find the courage to say those words that he wanted to.

"You never…," the boy began, wondering whether he should continue. He decided to plow forward.

"You never even looked my way…" was all that came out.

Naruto's cerulean eyes widened as he stared at his roommate and best friend. Did Sasuke just say what Naruto thought he had said?

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

_Yeah, I decided to leave it at that point. I know that this chapter was short, but it was happier than I first anticipated. It's not like I've been feeling any better, but I suppose my characters have to forge their own paths, away from mine. That's their job. They're just as real as I am – and since no two people can walk down the exact same road, it means that they can't walk down the path that I am walking. _

_The song… it was written when I was in my vulnerable state. Unlike most of my poetry, this one was actually written with true feelings. Most of my work is written with a neutral tone, yet its not very noticeable – but Drowning was me baring my soul… one of my friends loved it. Geoff, for that's her name, said, "If it wasn't true, I'd say this would make a great song. It would make a great song anyway. Maybe its great because its true. I don't know." _

_I don't know either. If anyone can give me any feedback on the song, I'd love you forever. I would. I want feedback – what do you like about the song? What do you dislike? I want to know how I should write my poetry – or if I shouldn't change anything to please the masses. I don't know what I'm saying, so I'll move onto review responses. Keep in mind, these are only for those that reviewed Chapter Thirty-Two_

_Ookima-han__: I think we all hope Sakura gets what she deserves when the time comes. And it will come, hopefully soon. If not, sorry, Ookima-han – but you know me. I don't plan what I write, I just write. You'll have to petition to Sasuke to see if she gets what she deserves. _

_Dark Mimiru-chan: Yeah, but Sasuke is just looking out for the dobe, neh? I don't know… but here's this chapter. I hope you like it. _

_Lord Zork: Unfortunately, I barely got anything from my friends/family. My friends are poor, so I forgive them. However, it would be nice if people actually remembered my birthday. Oh well. I'm glad you liked that chapter. _

_Chiikara__: Hmm… more Sasuke angst… well, do you have any suggestions? If you do, please email me. I'm great at Naruto angst… but Sasuke angst is on a completely different level for me… maybe because I'm not like Sasuke is. I don't know exactly. _

_KageKitsune16: Ookima-han has cheered up, I think. I'll send your regards along, and thanks for the review. I know that Naruto has so much piling up on him. Don't worry though, you'll find out who did those mean things to him soon. I actually know who it was, for once. Normally, I just have a small guess in my head and then its sometimes right and sometimes wrong. But this time, I know exactly who it is! _

_Sonic16: Well, actually… I wrote that poem to my girlfriend, but we're not getting into that. However, I thank you for your review. It was fun to read and all. I'm glad you like this story. I really don't know if Naruto wrote that to Sasuke though. I just put it in there because I liked it. _

_DragonDame57: Believe me, Sasuke does feel really guilty. The problem is that connecting with Sasuke acquires an entirely different mindset than connecting with Naruto, which means I have to split my mind up into nice even little pieces to get into the Uchiha's head and all. Although it sounds easing, I think the krazy glue from the last time I did that is falling off so maybe I'll be able to do it again soon. Until the krazy glue comes off, I'm stuck with one or the other, but the one is Naruto most of the time. _

_Tyranimo__ It's depressing how little yaoi I see these days… it makes me want to cry, but that's why I'm finally going to through Sasuke's feelings out in the open. Wheee! Hope you enjoy this chapter!_

_Dreamer: ((shrugs)) Yeah, well… Naruto definitely got an earful of Sasuke in this chapter. _

_Anukis__-san: Yeah, whenever I do the speech to myself when Naruto is talking in third person, I always pitch my voice to sound like a five year old, rock back and forth and have my eyes really wide open. It adds to the effect. It makes him seem like an insane person, but I think that's what I wanted to get across anyway. _

_Kitsurobami__ As long as it has SasuNaru, NaruSasu or ItaNaru, I'll read it. I like those couples for some weird reason – don't ask me why I like ItaNaru. I'll blame it on Itachi being a sexy beast and me being a lot like Naruto… its like my fantasy without using self-insertion._

_Kanemoshi__ Thank you. I like when people say my work is cute… don't ask me why!_

_Angelicattie__ I'm doing my best, but its hard because I'm finding less and less time to work on my stories. But I am trying my hardest to keep yaoi alive. And I know that authors like me are doing the same! _

_Shikigami-RioIzumi__Kage Bunshin army? Is that the KBA? That's cool! Wheee! Anyways, here's the update._

_Emily: I like to update soon, though sometimes I don't. Still, here's Chapter 33 for you and all my other readers. _

_Yaoi__-Rules: Here's the update and I'm glad you stuck on for the entire ride instead of jumping off early. It makes me feel worthy. _

_Maekiu__: Thanks for staying up to read it. And don't forget to give me the site for wherever you're linking my story to. Okay? _

_Dancing Kitsune: What can I say? I'm a masochist… there never was any doubt about that in my entire life. But whatever. I'm not a supporter of rape, but these things happen in real life. If writers/anyone doesn't bring it out into the open, then it will keep happening behind closed doors – where the victims feel like they can't escape. Aah, don't mind me, I don't know what I'm saying. Thanks for reading and I hope you like this chapter. _

_Flclinutri__They're just stupid. That's how I put it. They're smart enough not to be naïve, but stupid enough to be blind. I dunno, maybe. I'm not entirely sure but that's the answer I come up with for why they're not together… yet…_

_Thank you everyone. If I didn't answer your review, I apologize. And I will blame it on FFN. So nyeh! _

_See you all in Chapter 34!_


	34. Darkside's Changelings

_Hey everyone. I was really happy with the response from the last chapter. It made me so happy that everyone loved my poems/songs and sympathized with my GREAT ANGST life. Things are working out these days, which I'm grateful for. Nothing will be perfect again, but at least I'm not in the state that I was in. Wheee... anyways, thanks to everyone. Because of the great response that I've gotten, I'm working on having this chapter out sooner. _

**I Bleed Black  
****Chapter 34**

Naruto stared at Sasuke, his mouth agape and eyes widened. Sasuke looked up from his previous hiding spot of his hands, a furious blush evident on his face.

"S-Sasuke... what? What did you just say?" the blonde asked, trying to bring his brain back to reality. Unfortunately for him, it wasn?t working all that will. Did the Uchiha just saw what Naruto _though_ he heard? His mind was boggled, to say the least.

Sasuke had the look of a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck. "I didn't say anything," he growled out. The brunette was trembling with fear. How could he have let _that_ slip out? How could he have lost control? Now Naruto would hate him forever! He had protected his secret diligently for months, and now one slip might have made everything shatter.

"Sasuke," Naruto repeated the boy's name, curious. He rose from his seat and walked around the table to where Sasuke was sitting. Placing a hand on Sasuke?s knee and the other on the tabletop, he peered into the Uchiha?s face, eyes searching Sasuke?s.

"I... I didn't say anything," Sasuke tried to say, but his voice cracked in the middle of his sentence.

"Sasuke...?Do you... do you like me?" Naruto asked. His heart thumped against his chest. How he prayed those words were true! How the blonde _wanted_, _hoped_ the answer would be 'yes'!

He waited, not even realizing how he held his breath inside, how many emotions were flickering through his eyes. He didn't see it, didn't know what was happening.

But Sasuke did. Sasuke was almost entranced by the different parts of Naruto's eyes. The Uchiha only wanted to capture the blonde's lips in a kiss, and show him how much he loved him.

They were so close to. They were so close. He was leaning in towards Naruto's lips, not wanting this moment to end... wanting it to stand still for all eternity.

It was half a second later when his mouth pressed against Naruto's. Sliding his eyes shut, the Uchiha pressed firmly against Naruto's lips. His hands came up and cupped his love's cheeks. Naruto, subconsciously, was making the decision to kiss back.

Naruto's tongue slipped out, caressing Sasuke's lower lip. Sasuke held back a moan and complied to the unspoken order, opening his mouth so that Naruto could explore it with his tongue. The Uzumaki did just that.

The kiss continued for a few more moments, each seeming to last an eternity for Sasuke and Naruto. Both had dreamed of the day that they could kiss their roommate and now this it was finally coming true, they didn't want to stop.

When they did draw back slowly, not opening their eyelids yet, both basked in this feeling of completeness that swirled around them. Both hoped that it wasn't a dream. They prayed to whatever God or Goddess that might be listening that when they woke up tomorrow morning, this memory would still be with them.

Slowly, they opened their eyes, staring at one another in complete silence. Luckily, this silence was not an awkward silence, though, or else they would have already shifted uncomfortably from the tension that would be weighing down the atmosphere.

This silence was different from that, though. This silence was full of a sort of light-hearted feeling. This silence was like taking off a heavy burden and being able to stand straight and true once again.

It was Sasuke that broke the silence. His licked his lips, and said in a slightly cracked voice, "Does that answer your question?"

Naruto looked at him, as though analyzing him. But Sasuke didn't feel uncomfortable. He felt... relieved, surprisingly.

His feelings were out in the open. His heart was placed in his hand, which he was holding out to Naruto. The next step was up to Naruto. How the story would end was up to Naruto, not Sasuke. His part in this tale... his quest, had come to a stand-still. He was placing his sword in someone else's hands. Someone he loved, and trusted, above everyone else. Someone who knew how he cried, and how he laughed, and how he got angry and how he could be happy. This was his Someone.

He would do anything for his Someone.

But would his Someone do anything for him?

The question burned on Sasuke's mind, but he didn?t contemplate it. Now was the real test. Now was when he would learn... just how far did friendship go.

He stared at the stunned blonde, who was still recovering from their kiss. Naruto was staring at him, mouth slightly agape.

Sasuke proceeded to be silent. If he said anything, the moment would shatter and hurl his dream into a nightmare. And so he kept to being silent, knowing it was what was needed at the time being.

A few minutes had passed before Naruto spoke again.

"I... I..." he stuttered, drawing out pauses in between his words. "I..." The next part, however, was said very quickly that Sasuke almost didn't pick up on it. "IthinkImightlikeyoutoo."

Sasuke stared at him for a moment, hardly believing it was true. He smiled... a genuine smile that lit up the stoic black eyes with happiness and joy and love.

_He accepts me_, Sasuke thought, breathing out the breath that he had not been aware he was holding. _He... accepts me._

Suddenly, the Uchiha stood up, hugging Naruto close to him, feeling something being lifted off him. A great burden had vanished with that one jumbled sentence.

It was funny how things like that could happen.

Naruto, hesitantly, moved his arms up to hug Sasuke back. He had tears in his eyes as he buried his head in Sasuke's shoulders.

"A-are you okay?" Sasuke stammered, not sure of what else to say as he noticed his shirt getting damp.

Naruto smiled tearily up at him, as the boy was a head and a half shorter than his friend, and nodded. "I'm just... really happy. I've... liked you for a long time... and its good to finally know that, that it wasn't all in vain."

Sasuke smiled and held the boy close to him, closing his eyes slowly. Finally... after eight months of looking after the blonde, worrying about him, keeping him from too much trouble, something had come out of it.

After eight months of heaven, hell, purgatory, and everything else... it was finally moving on to something new.

This meant that Sasuke didn't need Neji anymore. And that Naruto didn't need Sakura to be there for him.

They would be able to have it the way it should be... with just Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke.

The way that it began all those months and weeks ago.

Things like this were something that Sasuke only thought happened in movies. Now, he knew differently. Now, he knew the truth. The movies were dramatizations of real life... almost every part of it.

Including miracles.

Sasuke nuzzled into Naruto?s neck as Naruto gripped him closer. They stood like that for a long time.

* * *

"All right, class," Iruka called for silence. Unlike normal, with Sasuke in one corner and Naruto in the other, the two were sitting side by side. Both looked quite happy with themselves. 

Kakashi grinned. _At least this project had some positive effects,_ the man thought and almost had a nosebleed at the entire visualization of his two students screwing each other senseless. _Must think... non-perverted... must think... non-perverted..._

Iruka raised an eyebrow at his colleague as he saw the man gripping his nose in a deathgrip with a faint blush on his cheeks. _Pervert,_ he thought to himself as he turned back to the class. _He probably deserves it_.

The class finally settled down and was looking at Iruka.

"All right, class, I hope you do realize that tomorrow your portraits are due."

Naruto made a small sound in the back of his throat. Sasuke looked over at him.

"You okay?" he asked, concerned.

Naruto nodded and gave his Uchiha a small smile. "I have to start that thing tonight."

Sasuke chuckled. "That would be a good thing."

"What about you?" Naruto wanted to know. "Did you finish me yet?"

"Yeah, I did it on your birthday."

Naruto pouted. "That sucks."

Iruka had gone back to talking and the two decided to tune into their teacher one more.

"Since this is a Creative Writing class, I want you all to choose a poem that you have written in order to share with the class. When I call out your name, be prepared to have something ready."

Naruto and Sasuke both pulled out their sketchbooks, flipping through them in order to find something not too angsty. They barely listened to what was going on around them until they heard Iruka call, "Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke stood up. "My poem is more of a song, so I'm going to sing it."

Many of his fangirls nearly swooned at the idea of their manly-manly Sasuke singing.

Sasuke started his song, his voice a light tenor. It still held a deeper edge to it. His voice was mysterious, wanting, hopeful, fearful, and sent shivers up Naruto?s spine.

_It reminds me of high school  
__I'm waiting for you  
__Can you see me in the shadows?  
__Look for me in the shade  
__I'm waiting in the darkness  
__Don't be afraid- I'm here_

_Welcome to the Darkside of the city  
__Don't scream or you?ll shatter the dream  
__We are here, shadows of nothing  
__We are here in Darkside_

_Don't mind the fire, don't feel its warmth  
__Embrace what you can't explain  
__Embrace an empty hearth  
__We don't need light in the shadows  
__Don't cry... you're not alone_

_Welcome to the Darkside of the city  
__Don't scream or you?ll shatter the dream  
__We are here, shadows of nothing  
__We are here in Darkside_

_I'm here, I'm waiting for you to come here  
__I'm sitting all alone  
__Won't you come with a smile?  
__I'll be here for you... always I'll be here  
__I'm waiting for you to step into the shadows  
__Look without your eyes  
__Step in to the shadows  
__You're in Darkside_

_Welcome to the Darkside of the city  
__Don't scream or you?ll shatter the dream  
__We are here, shadows of nothing- shadows of nothing  
__We are here, shadows of nothing, in Darkside_

When Sasuke finished, the entire classroom was in silence. Nobody had expected the Uchiha to sing that well, to sing that kind of song. They were stunned, and they loved it. It started with one person.

One person clapped their hands together slowly. Then another did so. This system followed until the entire room was applauding the Uchiha's song. Naruto just stared at the boy dumbly.

Had he practiced that? Had he meant to sound... that damn sexy when he thought about reading, or even singing, it aloud?

Even Kakashi and Iruka were staring at the boy, amazed. Sasuke's cheeks lit up to a light pink as he clumsily sat down.

As soon as the rest of the class settled down, Iruka cleared his throat. Everyone turned their attention to him, as hard as it was.

"Uzumaki Naruto," he called. "You're next."

Naruto gaped at Iruka. Kakashi grinned at him as Iruka casually avoided eye contact. He fumed silently as he rose to his feet. The entire class was watching him. He _knew_ Kakashi had set this entire thing up just to spite him. Gods, how he wished he could just hurt that damn pervert!

All eyes were on him, and he gulped, obviously nervous. Sasuke was obviously much better at presentations that he was! He didn't even stop to think about the logistics behind this as he read his poem. He didn't even give an introduction as he just plowed ahead:

_Not all faeries are pretty and pink  
__With wings of golden brilliance  
__Some faeries hide in the dark  
__And only come out when you sleep  
__Some cannot escape the shadows  
__That bind__ them where they are  
__Such things many don't realize  
__But you can see it  
__In the eyes of a child  
__The child knows the faerie is near  
__The child realizes that not everything  
__Can be seen in two colors  
__But woe, for the imaginary friends are fleeing  
__As the child's wings are clipped  
__Nothing can stop the disbelieving  
__That the child now believes  
__There are no such things as faeries  
__Someone does dare declare  
__But where is the proof of such a thing?  
__It doesn't exist  
__It doesn't have any footing here  
__And one day the child will grow old  
__And with a sigh, they'll say  
__Not all the faeries in the land  
__Are pretty and pink with sunshine wings  
__Look for the other fae  
__The ones who aren't afraid  
__To hide in darkness and bask in shadow  
__For they are the ones that bring change_

Again, there was silence. For nobody could quite comprehend what the blonde had whispered, as he had whispered. When it began to register in their minds what exactly had been said, they just stared. In a way, it was a repeat of what happened with Sasuke. They gaped, but now they were doing it to Naruto.

Naruto shifted uncomfortably. He didn?t know what to do. Hiding his face, he sat down, refusing to look around him. He didn't want to face the embarrassment he expected from his classmates. There was no applause this time, but people now had a different view of Naruto, even though their perspectives had already been changing in the past few months.

The bell rung, jarring Naruto out of his poor attempt at the fetal position. He jumped up, grabbed his bookbag and jetted out of the classroom before the rest of the students had even begun to stand. Sasuke stared after his... friend? Boyfriend? Roommate?

He didn't know, but that didn't matter right now. He had to admit, thought, that even he was a bit surprised at the blonde's poetry. It was much different from the dark stuff he was used to reading from the blonde. He supposed that this was because Naruto didn't want others privy to his thoughts much.

He followed the blonde, knowing exactly where Naruto was headed.

There really wasn't anywhere else to go, now that his other sanctuary had been... defiled. After all, Naruto used to find peace on top of the Arts Building. Now, after Orochimaru had... there was no reason to go down that thought train.

Naruto laid back on his bed, staring at the badly maintained ceiling. He should really put some posters up to hide all the cracks. Hmm... which ones, though? It was about twenty more minutes before his roommate returned and for Naruto, that had been long enough for him to become his normally boisterous self again.

"Hey, Naruto," Sasuke said as he walked inside.

Naruto looked over towards Sasuke and grinned. "Hi!" he yelled out. Without warning, the blonde ran over to Sasuke, putting his arms around the older boy's waist and placing a light peck on his lips.

"Welcome home, Sasuke," he told the Uchiha with a grin.

Sasuke smiled back, leaning in to claim the boy's lips in a deeper kiss.

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

_Well, since this was the chapter (chapter 34 people) when Naruto and Sasuke finally got together, I decided to include TWO of my writings in it. Sasuke's poem/song thingymajig is something I wrote this October called Darkside. Naruto's is something I wrote last week. It'__s called Changelings. I managed to scare several people with it. It seemed too happy for me. Damn people! _

_Anyways, here's review responses for chapter 33. _

_Chiikara__: Thanks for the feel better soon note. Everything is better these days, luckily. I was actually able to make a happy chapter about it, neh? Whoosh. I agree with your Sasuke-angst idea and I hope to incorporate it soon. However, this chapter was just too happy for something like that. Yeah... poetry is definitely different when you actually feel what you're writing. _

_Sonic16: I don't think _anyone's_ best moment would be in that song, y'know? Here's the next chapter. _

_Anukis__-san: I remind you of a certain slightly-insane friend, neh? What about fully-insane? _

_KageKitsune16: But you'll find out later, neh? I mean... I kind of know who it was, but whatever. Thanks for the review! AAH SCARY FONT! _

_Yaoilover__ S: Don't die! I love your fics, so you CAN'T die! And I love how you explained it, actually. It made me feel warm and fuzzy, but also sad. Don't worry, it's a good feeling. _

_Ghostninja85: I got your email. Thank you very much for both reviewing and emailing! You're boosting my ego!_

_CitrusPeach__: Everything luckily did turn out all right. Well, its still working out now, but hopefully its just another bump in the road. Another obstacle or what have you. _

_Danya2: Well, I ended it there mostly because I could. I don't think anyone was expecting Sakura to fuck Lee. Hell, even I wasn't expecting it, but it was the most believable, I think. _

_Yaoi__-Rules: Here's what happens. Thanks for the review. Glad you like the story. _

_Truefightingwolf__: Thanks for the compliment, you're making me blush. I'm not sure if that's good, but it feels good, so I'll say its good for now. And you continue writing as well. _

_Dancing Kitsune: I loved reading your review. It was long and hilarious. I agree, let's all kill Sakura. And you seem to have the battleplan mapped out. Sweet deal! It means I don't have to come up with it. _

_Elly__ Stormrage: Fluffy enough? I thought so. I almost gagged at one part, but I'm not saying which, mainly because I can't remember. But you're right. SasuNaruness is finally here. _

_Tyranimo__: A good idea... but there are no beaches in my state. Goddamn __Pennsylvania__! RAWR. Anyways, thanks for the compliments and for boosting my ego very high up. Wheee! _

_Kionat__: I hope this didn't happen in real life. I would pity and sympathize with whoever would be replaced with Naruto and Sasuke. And then I would go and beat the shit out of Orochimaru's gang and all. Hee hee hee hee_

_Fox: Wow, I made a non-poem person a poem-personish person. I dunno... I'__m confusing myself. Thanks for the review. I hope to continue seeing your reviews. _

_Hogo-chan__: thanks for the review, mate. I'__m your hero? I'm not sure if that's a good thing. I'm a weird type of character, so yeah... I'm glad you liked my chapter. Squealy fool? Aww! How cute!_

_Kisu__: I know I'm evul, but I can't help it. Honestly, it was too good of a cliffie to pass up. _

_Dark Mimiru-Chan: Here's Naruto, then, I suppose. WHEE!_

_Az__-Strawberry: Weird or no, as long as you like it, why should that be a problem? (if it ever was, of course). Happy to see your review! Hope to see more! _

_DieChan__: I didn't die... Wait... you thought I was dead?_

_Angelicattie__ Its not creepy, but I don't think my girlfriend would be too happy with you kissing me. Anyways, I'm glad you liked. Here's the next chapter. _

_Lord Zork: Lol, that's one of the reasons why I say Naruto and I are so alike. However, I'm very happy that you actually made the comparison. Don't worry about something if it sounds awkward, as long as the person understands what you want to say, its all good. _

_TrigunChic__: Bah, even they went numb, I'm a pyromaniac so I'd burn them 'til they could feel again. Thanks for the review. You're right, I shouldn't change who I am just to conform. Conformity sucks anyway. _

_Kitsurobami__: Kewlys! You actually have a band! Wheee! My band... we haven't done shit. We still need a bassist. Bah! _

_SasuNaru__-kun: I'd be honored if you wrote music for it. I would, but I don't have much musical talent. _

_Xxphatxbaybeexx__: do you know how to get in contact with an agency who would buy my work? I need extra cash, and I wouldn't mind given rock bands some of my lesser poems. Drowning I'm keeping to myself, however, for whenever my band does get off its ass. _

_Ann: My angst is almost gone, thank god, but I'm still glad that people were worried. It means they care, so its not like everything is at the end right now. In fact, it feels like the beginning all over again._

_Kanemoshi__: Wheee, PITCHFORKS! MWA! Thanks! Masterpiece? I don't know about that. _

_Alex?s little duckling: whoa, I think that's a first someone threw a temper tantrum to get me to update. Congrats!_

_Me: Thanks for the compliments on the poem. My favorite verse is either the first four lines of the first verse. "I'll take a photograph/it'll be my memory/I'll take one last shot/at what seems like history." I also like the last verse. "Got to hold on/but my finger's slipping/gotta be strong/but I'm still drowning." I dunno why, but those are my favorite parts. However, I'm glad that you liked it. Squee!_

_Kyuubi: Just go out and write, and that's how I started. I just picked up a pen and wrote on a piece of paper. Writing comes to the writer. Here's your update._

_Toudai-ronin__: Don't fail! That's not good! Just pass with a D and it's all good!_

_Heero2001: Well, now you know, neh?_

_Sasuke luveeer!: Here's more... please turn down the volume though, its scary! Just kidding, thanks for the review_

_Kin Uchiha: Thanks for saying you'd wait. That makes me feel special. I feel better, actually. Its been a much better week than the last time I updated. I agree. I shouldn't change what I feel. That would be untrue to myself and therefore regretful... no regrets -that's my life. _

_Thanks to all of you. You've been there to help me through good and bad times. I love you all. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. _


	35. You Were There

_Yeah… um… sorry its taken forever for me to update this fic. I really wish I could have done it sooner but I was slightly braindead. I mean… hmm… well… I'm still slightly braindead, but I can try my best anyways and see how sucky the chapter comes out! MWA HAA HAA!!_

**I Bleed Black  
****Chapter Thirty-Five: You Were There**

Almost a week had passed since Sasuke and Naruto had begun their relationship. They were growing closer than they were, but neither was willing to move onto the next step, especially with what had been revealed only a few months before – what with their past, it wasn't hard to understand why.

Thoughts like these usually put Sasuke into a quiet mood. Naruto was the only person, besides Neji and Gaara, who knew of his past. Neji and Gaara didn't even have any good evidence, it was all just logical thinking based on what they had witnessed, but that didn't matter.

The brunette was sitting on the couch, thinking. His mind kept wandering back to a time when he wasn't free – when Tomoe had been alive. It was strange, thinking of the man even though he was dead. But sometimes the past is not easy to let go of.

If sex was such a problem for him – then why had he and Neji established that strange stress-relief system? He wasn't entirely sure, to tell the truth. With Neji, there were no emotions involved and Neji hadn't been raped.

Naruto was much more fragile than Sasuke ever was. Naruto didn't know how to block out the humiliation of the pain of being violated like that. He had lost his memories instead, and yet only something equally as bad had brought those memories back.

It disturbed Sasuke, to say the least. He loved Naruto, that much was easy for him. He loved Naruto as he had never loved anyone else in his life. Naruto was his stone, holding him fast to the Earth.

But he was afraid.

Why?

Sasuke wasn't exactly sure why fear crept up on him whenever he thought of Naruto.

Strike that out, actually. Sasuke knew exactly why. It was the same reason for him never to become close to anyone in his entire life. But right now it was an irrational fear.

Uchiha Tomoe, his father, was dead.

So why did he feel this uneasy?

Tomoe couldn't rise from the dead! It wasn't possibly!

So Sasuke shouldn't be afraid.

He could remember the original conversation that had spawned this fear with his father well.

_Uchiha Tomoe stood over his son. The boy, aging about twelve, had a black eye. It was winter break and Sasuke had been ordered by his father to return home. He didn't exactly want to, but he also didn't want his father coming to school and dragging him back. Everyone would know that he had an abusive father then, and he didn't need that. He knew that most would hate it, but he didn't want his fanclubs to continually express their sympathies in shrill voices. _

_They had been eating quietly on December 30th when Tomoe decided to strike up a conversation. He said something but Sasuke missed it because he was too busy thinking that this was his last day here, since he would return to __Konoha__Academy__ the next morning. He couldn't be more glad for that. _

_Tomoe punched him in the eye, giving him the black eye mentioned earlier, when he saw the boy was ignoring him. "You little shit, don't fucking ignore me or I'll beat you until you fucking beg for mercy."_

_Sasuke hung his head. "I'm sorry, Father," he whispered. _

_Tomoe sneered at the boy. "That's better, brat. Now, I asked you – are you in a relationship of any sort?" _

_Slowly, Sasuke shook his head. _

_"Good!" Tomoe told him. He noticed the puzzled look in Sasuke's eyes. Tomoe got up and walked around to the back of Sasuke's chair. He wrapped his arms around the boy's shoulders, leaning over to whisper in his ear. _

_"Because you belong to me and me alone," he warned in a dangerous voice. "If you bothered to be in a relationship, I'll know and then I'll fuck your partner until he becomes mine." Sasuke shuddered as Tomoe kissed the tattoo that the boy had on his neck. "I'll mark your partner, and he shall be mine." The older man's tongue slowly traced the mark of the Sharingan. _

_"And it will be all your fault for making me angry enough to do that," Sasuke's father snarled as he sank his teeth into the tattoo. _

_Sasuke gasped at the pain, but made no other noise. He just knew that he could have no close friends or a partner of any sort, unless he wanted them to face the same side of his father as he had. _

Yet he had broken that vow a year later when he had met the one called Uzumaki Naruto.

And now Naruto was just like him… marked, just like Sasuke was. The brunette could not break free of his mind at the moment, remembering the sight of Tomoe's eyes – burning hatred even unto death. He could remember seeing Naruto lying there, naked and broken and unconscious, under the advances of Tomoe.

The Uchiha was shaking now, though he didn't notice it. He didn't even notice when his boyfriend returned from being out.

After returning from his classes, Naruto was surprised to see Sasuke sitting like a statue on the couch. Dropping his bookbag, Naruto walked over to Sasuke. The Uchiha was thinking to himself. Something about it worried his blonde boyfriend.

"Sasurin?" Naruto asked in a quiet voice. "Sasuke?"

The brunette wasn't paying attention to Naruto. Pouting, Naruto reviewed the things he could do, trying to decide what would be best. He didn't like seeing the other boy like this. It made him feel as though Sasuke was on another planet, in a place where Naruto couldn't reach him. No matter how hard he tried to.

Furrowing his eyebrows together, Naruto waved his hand in front of Sasuke's eyes. He bit his lip when Sasuke didn't even blink. Not able to think of anything else, Naruto put his hands on Sasuke's shoulders and leaned into the other. Confidently, he softly grazed his lips with Sasuke's. It was a tease, meant only to bait a reaction out of the brunette.

Naruto _did_ get a reaction, but it wasn't a good one.

Sasuke's eyes shot open, fear overtaking him. He completely froze, shaking slightly as his eyes darted around the room. When he looked at Naruto, he began to struggle against the Uzumaki's light grip on his shoulders.

Naruto let go, not knowing what else to do.

When he did, Sasuke curled up into the couch he was on, whimpering slightly. His hands gripped his head and he was biting his lip harshly.

Naruto felt his heart clench in his chest. He didn't like this feeling. Even as he worried about what to do about Sasuke, a lone thought drifted through his cyclone of ideas.

_Was this how Sasuke felt when Naruto kept breaking down?_

Impulsively, Naruto latched onto his boyfriend, rocking Sasuke gently back and forth. "Its okay, Sasuke," he whispered to the boy. His hand moved in small circles on the other's back.

Naruto felt tears come to his own eyes as he held the sobbing boy against him. HE didn't know what had caused the Uchiha's anguish but he wanted Sasuke to feel better. He looked around him, only barely noticing that Sasuke was hugging him back. Assuring himself that nothing was around him (for he swore he heard something) the blonde turned his attention back to the Uchiha.

Slowly, without realizing it, he began to sing to Sasuke. It was the same song that he had sung the last time that he had held the boy protectively against him.

_Cultivate your hunger,  
__Before you idealize  
__Motivate your anger,  
__Make them all realize  
__Climbing a mountain,  
__Never coming down  
__Break into the contents,  
__Never breaking down  
__My knee is still shaking,  
__Like I was twelve,  
__Sneaking out of the classroom,  
__By the back door  
__A man railed at me twice though,  
__But I didn't care.  
__Waiting is wasting for people like me.  
__Don't try to live so wise.  
__Don't cry 'cause you're so right.  
__Don't dry with fakes or fears,  
__'cause you will hate yourself in the end  
__Don't try to live so wise  
__Don't cry 'cause you're so right.  
__Don't dry with fakes or fears,  
__'cause you will hate yourself in the end.  
__You say, 'Dreams are dreams.  
__I ain't gonna play the fool anymore.'  
__You say, ''Cause I still got my soul.'  
__Take your time, baby,  
__Your blood needs slowing down.  
__Breach your soul to reach yourself before you gloom.  
__Reflection of fear makes shadows of nothing,  
__Shadows of nothing  
__You still are blind,  
__If you see a winding road,  
__'cause there's always a straight way to the point you see  
__Don't try to live so wise.  
__Don't cry 'cause you're so right.  
__Don't dry with fakes or fears,  
__'cause you will hate yourself in the end.  
__Don't try to live so wise.  
__Don't cry 'cause you're so right.  
__Don't dry with fakes or fears,  
__'cause you will hate yourself in the end_

Naruto's voice was as sweet as Sasuke remembered it always to be. A rich sound, speaking of innocence and understanding. Sasuke loved Naruto's voice – he loved listening to it, loved hearing it, loved it when it made words or sand songs. He just loved Naruto's voice. It was one of the many things out of the boy that he loved.

The moment he began to hear that voice, he felt the fear that he felt vanish. The song and the person singing it embraced him, shielded him from the threats of his father. Tomoe could not touch him while he was in the arms of one Uzumaki Naruto. It was as though they had been transported off the planet, to a place called Paradise.

Sasuke also felt the tugging of sleep at the edge of his vision. Naruto was still humming the song, although the lyrics had finished. Sasuke curled up, cuddling with _his_ dobe. Craning his neck upwards, he managed to give a small kiss to the bottom of Naruto's chin before adjusting himself again, trying to get the boy's hipbone out of his stomach.

It was in this position that he had fallen asleep against the boy.

Naruto smiled at Sasuke, stroking the boy's hair. He knew that the other boy was asleep, and Naruto loved to watch Sasuke sleep. He was so innocent looking when his eyes were closed and he was dreaming. Wanting to sing a little more, he began a song that he just pretty much made up as he went along. He spoke from the heart, but this time it would not be persevered on paper – it would be preserved in the memory that this moment had become.

_I can't see why nothing's some  
__I can't see when that day has gone  
__Everything's the same  
__Like the way it was before you came  
__And I never knew just how to say  
__I loved you  
__And I never knew how close we were  
__In my heart_

_You were there to slay the dragon  
__You were there to bring me light  
__In the darkness, that surrounds me  
__You were there to hold me tight_

_Forever that I've known you  
__Forever that I've held you  
__Forever it seems  
__Has slipped away  
__And I never knew  
__Just how close we were  
__In the days that are gone  
__That will never come back_

_You were there to slay the dragon  
__You were there to bring me light  
__In the darkness, that surrounds me  
__You were there to hold me tight_

Throughout his song, Sasuke had only burrowed closer into Naruto's shoulder, letting the blonde surround him in his protective hold. Naruto buried his nose in Sasuke's hair, letting his cheek stay there as he felt sleep fall upon him too. Both wore smiles as they stayed there, on the small couch, curled up within one another.

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

_The sad part about the lateness of this chapter: it took all of two hours to write and that includes the break in the middle for dinner as well as reading fanfics and listening, singing along to music. Well, I hope you enjoy. I would do reviews, but I want this up ASAP so that all of you can read and tell me how you like it. I hope its not insanely short. And forgive the errors. Oh yeah - song, wrote years ago. It's called "You Were There"_

_Thank you_


	36. Dream of My Moon

_Sorry, no rant here. I'm sick, I'm tired, smoking's slowly killing me (yet I'm addicted, so don't bug me about that) and I was originally going to type up this chapter on another occasion. Since sleeping didn't work, I came back to this. God fuck it! It's fucking cold here!_

**I Bleed Black  
****Chapter Thirty Six**

When Sasuke came to, he realized that he was tucked into his bed. The nightmares that had happened had been fierce, but they had dulled out to a more dream-like stage at the end. He couldn't believe he had broken down like that, the memories returning to him. Slowly, the Uchiha looked at the clock on the side of his bed.

He had been out of it for nearly six hours.

Sighing, Sasuke pushed his blankets back and swung his feet over the side of the bed. He stretched his back before standing up.

Walking into the living room, the brunette was surprised to find that Naruto wasn't around. His eyes glanced to the clock again. It was early afternoon, so Naruto had probably gone to classes to pick up work for both of them. He should be back soon if that was the case. Assuming that this was true, Sasuke sat himself in front of the TV and decided to watch cartoon reruns until his boyfriend returned.

He didn't have to wait very long for an interruption.

A half hour after he had awoken, there was a thud against the front door of the dorm room. Sasuke was confused as to why something had slammed against the door and figured that he should investigate.

The Uchiha walked over to the door and pulled it open. A heavy weight sank into him. Sasuke was surprised at this and was about to push whatever-it-was away from him when the stench of blood reached his nostrils. Taking a better look at the beaten figure, he realized that the person (as it _was_ a person) was Uzumaki Naruto.

"Naruto?" he let out, gasping at the beaten sight of the one he loved most. "Hold on." Grabbing Naruto's arm, he pulled it over his shoulder and grabbed onto the blonde's waist. Supporting Naruto's weight as best he could, Sasuke staggered over to the couch and lay the blonde down on it.

Judging by the slight movement of the boy's hands and head, Naruto was still conscious. "Naruto?" Sasuke whispered.

"Sas…Sasuke?" Naruto asked, his eyes opened halfway. Try as he might, he couldn't summon the strength to open them all the way.

"Naruto… who did this to you?" Sasuke demanded to know from his boyfriend. "Was it Akatsuki?"

Naruto flinched at the name of the mafia group that was after him. He shook his head, even though it pained him. He couldn't tell Sasuke what had happened and why his body was covered in slashes of a knife. He couldn't tell the Uchiha. Sasuke would just blame himself and get depressed.

Naruto didn't like it when Sasuke was depressed. Maybe he should tell his boyfriend who had been doing this to him…. But no, such things would only lead them to disaster. Naruto didn't want to lose Sasuke again.

While these thoughts rebounded off his head, the boy lost consciousness, one hand still clasped onto Sasuke's.

Sasuke stared down at his beloved. Why was Naruto hiding this from him? Even though it had been about three hours since Naruto had fallen asleep, the Uchiha had not moved much. He felt as though he needed to watch over the boy.

Thinking of Naruto made him mind wander. Somehow, it settled on the presentation that Naruto had had to do only last week in Creative Writing class.

_Uzumaki Naruto stood in the front of the classroom. He was unsure as to which part of his project he was more embarrassed about: the painting or the poem. The covered canvas lay in the center of the front. _

_Naruto's palms were sweaty and he could feel himself shaking slightly. Slowly, he raised his cerulean blue eyes to the class, his hand clenching tighter onto the poem. _

_"Um… my partner was Uchiha Sasuke," he told them. Even though he wasn't very confident, his voice did not betray his uncertainty. "The portrait I made of him was something I hadn't planned on doing. However, I hoped that I was able to paint the Sasuke I see without a façade of his name to hide behind. Anyways, I might as well let all of you see it now, neh?"_

_Naruto took the corners of the canvas and gently lifted it off from his oil painting. He had put several hours into this piece of work the night before, but he hadn't even shown Sasuke the portrait. He wasn't sure how everyone else would feel about this painting, just as he wasn't sure how Sasuke would feel. _

_The entire class stared at the painting. _

_It's background was one of night, with stars twinkling in the sky. However, the moon was part of Sasuke's head, its reflection showing a smile from the normally stoic boy. The picture only showed the top half of Sasuke and the landscape was only a cloak that the boy wore. The eye that was not covered by the crescent moon was a void of black, mixed with just the barest hint of gold. It made it so that you could be trapped within that lone, brooding eye. _

_Not a sound could be heard from anywhere in the classroom. No one had moved, as they all became entangled in the void that was hidden in the painting. The students' (and teachers') breaths had stilled. _

_How could someone paint something like this? That was all that anyone wondered as they sat there, realizing that the make of this beauty was the obnoxious blonde idiot that they once ignored._

_The irony was almost perfect._

_The only thing that made that irony even more perfect was the poem that Naruto had written for this picture. _

_The blonde cleared his throat before reading aloud the words that were connected with the picture. _

_Smoldering softly in the skies  
__A void reflected in your eyes  
__A face I see whenever I dream  
__An angel for me, so it seems  
__Cloaked in darkness and in night  
__You are the moonshine – you are my light  
__Staring down at me from above  
__I talk to you about pains and love  
__Pale features, soft as snow  
__Are you everything? I don't know  
__Sometimes you speak in riddles and rhyme  
__Sometimes what you say takes a very long time  
__I saw you first as someone to hate  
__But you are my best friend as of late  
__I don't know how you can be so strong  
__Nor how your sanity stayed with you this long  
__You are my moon, I admire you  
__I wonder if you care for me too  
__Your gaze is so icy, so full of black  
__It's full of the feelings you pretend to lack  
__I'm brought down and trapped within your gaze  
__Trapped and lost in its misty haze  
__Maybe I'll never tell you  
__All the things you do  
__To make me laugh and make me smile  
__Remind me how you've been there all the while  
__If you want to know how much I care  
__Then stand up, my moon, and come over here_

_The class was astonished. What was going on, many of them wondered. Sasuke stared at Naruto from where he sat. The blue gaze he loved so much was zeroed in on him. _

_Somehow, he knew what the blonde was asking of him. He stood up, walking slowly down to the front of the classroom. _

_"What are you-?" Iruka began, but Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder. Iruka turned, staring at his colleague. Slowly, Kakashi shook his head. Slightly disgruntled, the creative writing teacher nodded, staying silent and watching the boys._

_By now, Sasuke stood in front of the blonde. Their peers were confused and so they stayed silent, watching with wide eyes in order to not miss whatever was happening next. _

_"Are you sure about me doing this?" Sasuke asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He looked directly into those sea-blue eyes._

_"Well, I wouldn't want to disappoint the audience," Naruto replied coyly. _

_Sasuke grinned easily. The sight made nearly every female in the room swoon. The Uchiha leaned over and entrapped his boyfriend's lips with his own. Both heard gasps of surprise from everyone, but neither cared for them. _

_Sasuke's hand moved to Naruto's cheek as they both slid their eyes shut. Sasuke revels in the taste of his lover and didn't care if a few people would hate him for this. So, he happily continued to kiss his boyfriend. _

Sasuke sighed happily at the memory. However, his happiness soon dissipated, as the blonde on the couch lay unmoving, as though dead.

_

* * *

__Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

_Sorry for the shortness, but yeah… its cold, I'm sick, I'm hurt, I can barely see straight, I'm tired, I should quit smoking (but I'm not), etc. So blah! Moving on… there's absolutely nothing else I want to say. _

_Oh wait. The poem is entitled… "Dream of my Moon"_


	37. Catching Butterflies

_Hey, look everyone; I'm starting Chapter Thirty-Seven of I Bleed Black! Aren't you all proud of me? I know I've been slacking on a lot of my fics recently, but I really hope that you all enjoy what I can get out. I have so many projects that I'm avoiding that its hard to remember what I'm avoiding and when._

_Moving on, however, I'm happy that I'm only thirty-some reviews off from seven hundred! I hope all of you help me in getting seven hundred. My goal is to try and catch up to Nazo-senpai's 1000 and some, but I don't know if that will happen. _

**I Bleed Black  
****Chapter Thirty-Seven: Catching Butterflies**

It felt as though Sasuke had been awake for years, but it had only been a few short hours. There was no change in Naruto during that time, however. Sasuke had washed and dressed the wounds, not sure on what else he should do. Occasionally, Sasuke would stand up and stretch his cramped muscles. He didn't mind staying up, looking after Naruto. After all, he had done it countless times as it were and so therefore it was no problem to do it once more.

"Sasuke-kun?" a feminine voice asked.

Sasuke looked down at Naruto, but the blonde wasn't awake and he didn't speak in that girly of a tone.

_God, I'm hearing things and its only three in the morning,_ Sasuke thought to himself. _I really must be tired if I'm having auditory hallucinations before four!_

He shook his head from side to side. He was definitely in need of a good night's sleep. Suddenly, just as he was about to fall forward and sleep, Naruto began to thrash about, sweat pouring down his face. His face held the expression of pain, fear and confusion all at once.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked, wondering what was going on inside the head of his boyfriend.

* * *

Inside of Naruto's head was not a pleasant place to be at the moment. For some reason, memories from the past – from a time that he thought he had gotten over, were coming back in full force. 

_"What are you doing here?" _

_"You are a very pretty specimen, you do realize this, correct? My boss would be pleased if we brought you to him."_

_"What are you talking about?"_

_"You should find out soon enough."_

_"N-no. I-I thought you wanted Sasuke."_

_"Mark my words, Naruto-chan. I do want Sasuke. Who doesn't want him? After all he has become – even with his past. He is strong than you – more beautiful than you. Sasuke is so much better than you."_

_"Then… then why me?"_

_"You're just my job. And because you stopped my last chance with Sasuke."_

_Pause. _

_"If you were going to be cooperative, I was going to make it slow, make it not hurt – as much, but you insist on being difficult, don't you?"_

_"S-s-stop!"_

_"Why should I do a thing like that?"_

_A scream. _

_"Now, now, Naruto-chan. We can't have you making all that noise or else you might attract the attention of someone who would interrupt us."_

_The scenes flashed before the poor blonde. Visions of Orochimaru entering him, Kabuto and all of the other people entering him. He screamed until he could scream no more, only to be silenced by the gag that had been placed to muffle his voice. Amidst their laughter, the colors began to blur and the scene changed to another memory that Naruto wished he didn't have to remember. Unlike the last scene, however, this one was different from the original incident. _

_Naruto lay on the ground, bound as he was the day after his birthday when he had first encountered Uchiha Tomoe and learned that the man wanted him. _

_"No… not again! You… You can't be here! You're dead! You died!" Naruto yelled, backing up. He had to get away from this man; he had to get away from this man! He didn't want to be raped again – he didn't need to be tortured like he had before. The tattoo of the Sharingan on Naruto's lower back burned pain through him, making him cry aloud. _

_Tomoe stood, walking slowly over to Naruto. Naruto looked up at the man with fear in his eyes. _

_"Dead?" Tomoe asked, his lips curled into a feral smirk. "Does it look like I'm dead, Naruto-chan?" _

_The man reached out, grabbing Naruto's chin harshly. Naruto shuddered when he felt the man's cold skin upon him. He didn't want this! He was supposed to be safe! Sasuke was supposed to protect him. _

_Sasuke had promised to be there for him. So, if Sasuke had faith in Naruto, Naruto had to have faith in Sasuke, right? That meant that he had to believe that Sasuke would come for him, right? _

_So Naruto would believe that Sasuke would come. He trusted that Sasuke would come for him. _

_"Stop thinking of that shit son of mine," Sasuke's father growled, slapping Naruto hard across the face. "He won't come for you. He hates you."_

_"No…" Naruto protested weakly. "He said he loves me…"_

_Tomoe snickered at this. Naruto looked at the man with wide, naïve eyes. "All he wants from you is to see how pathetic you are when you cling to him, wishing that he would make your tears go away."_

_"N-no!" Naruto yelled. "That's not what he does."_

_"Is it?" Tomoe said, looking deeply into Naruto's eyes. _

_"…away. Get away from me!" Naruto was screaming. _

_A flush of anger spread across Tomoe's face. "This is really beginning to annoy me, Naruto-chan," the man growled. "How do you think I can silence you?"_

_Naruto shivered, feeling fear penetrate him. He didn't like any of the ideas that Tomoe could and would come up with. _

_There was a glitter to Tomoe's eye, as he stared down at his victim. Slowly straddling the boy's hips, the older man moved up until he was situated on the blonde's chest. Ever so slowly, he reached down and unzipped his pants, freeing the erect member that was hidden in them. _

_Naruto shook his head, trying to silently tell Tomoe that he wasn't going to do what was being asked of him. _

_Tomoe slapped Naruto hard. The blonde, surprised, opened his mouth to protect the action, in which Tomoe's manhood was shoved into it. He stayed still, not doing anything._

_Tomoe scowled down at the blonde. From his boot, he pulled out a knife. "You better do as I say or I'll slit your throat," the Uchiha snarled, pressing the edge of the blade to Naruto's neck. The boy felt the cool metal of the weapon against his skin. _

_"God, Naruto!" he heard the man on top of him gasp. Naruto felt himself glowing with pride as well as the constriction of his pants around his own arousal._

_It wasn't long before Tomoe came into Naruto's mouth. The blonde swallowed ever last bit of the liquid that had spurted out of the now limp cock of the older man. _

_He felt his pants grow even tighter around his erection as Tomoe leaned forward._

_"That's a good little pet, a good little whore," the elder man whispered into Naruto's ear._

_The Uzumaki's eyes widened as he realized what had just happened. _

_"No… I didn't… no…" he murmured, trying to deny that he liked it, that he felt good while doing it. Naruto knew there was no turning back here. A thought struck him. Even through it all, even though Naruto trusted him, Uchiha Sasuke had yet to appear._

* * *

Sasuke wiped the brow of his boyfriend, completely unaware of the dream. He heard the blonde moan tiredly and knew that Naruto was close to waking up. It wasn't long before the cerulean blue eyes that Sasuke had fallen in love with opened. 

"Naruto, are you alright?" Sasuke asked, looking frantically at the boy in front of him.

Naruto just blinked, looking up at his boyfriend. Behind his eyes, he was trying to remember where he was and whether this could be another dream. When he recognized that it was not another horrible dream, he was about to smile when he heard something.

_Stop thinking about that shit son of mine!_

Naruto heard the voice of Sasuke's father in his head. He flinched at the sound. He was trying to dispel that voice, as much as he was failing at doing so. He didn't want to remember his dream. The blonde looked down, refusing to meet his lover's gaze.

"I… I…" but the rest of his sentence died on his lips. He couldn't say anything. Guilt was grabbing onto him.

And it wasn't letting go.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked, eyes showing off his concern for his roommate. "What's the matter?"

Naruto just stared at him with blank, dead eyes. His eyes were full of a lonely childhood that he had had to suffer, topped with this enter six months that he had spent with Sasuke – that he had suffered with Sasuke.

Naruto briefly wondered thatif given the choice, wouldhe havewished that the past six months never happened? It scared him to know that he would… that he didn't have any ties to the time of now, with Kyuubi, without anything – except for Sasuke.

But was Sasuke really enough? Could Sasuke help Naruto heal?

Were they just in a relationship where they would lick each others' wounds until they pretend to be healed, but their just festering with puss underneath a deceiving scab?

Was that the relationship they had?

Had it always been like that?

Naruto hated thinking because thinking led to these questions – questions that he didn't know how to answer, or even how to begin to answer. He shook his head, clearing every last question back into the drawers where they belonged.

Sasuke recognized what he was doing from what he had done thousands of times before. He was hiding himself, shielding himself from the truth. Whatever Naruto didn't want to face, then he would not face. It was how anyone who wanted to survive for a long time did.

_Call it cowardice_, Sasuke had heard someone say once, _I'll just laugh at you when you're dead._

"…weren't…me…" Naruto was mumbling.

"What did you say?" Sasuke asked kindly, focusing back on the matter at hand.

"You weren't there… I waited… I believed… and you never came to save me!" Naruto murmured. It was nearly inaudible, but Sasuke managed to hear what was being said.

He stared at the other boy, wondering what the hell the blonde was thinking.

"Naruto, understand this – I've _always_ tried to be there for you," Sasuke told the boy fiercely. "_Always_."

The brunette stood up, mainly to go and dispose of blood-soaked towels and such that he had used during the night to clean the wounds with.

"Then how come sometimes you were too late?" Naruto wanted to know. His voice was timid, fearful. Sasuke dropped the water basin to the floor, spinning on his heels quickly.

"What did you just say?" he wanted to know.

Naruto shook his head, recoiling back into himself once more. He couldn't tell Sasuke. Sasuke already angry enough at Naruto. And it was always Naruto's fault.

_S'not Sasuke's fault, always Naruto who gets into trouble and can't get out,_ he thought to himself. After repeating this mantra several times in his brain, he began to believe it, which only scared him more.

The blonde eyed a piece of paper that Sasuke had dropped when he stood up. The other boy was muttering to himself, trying to control his temper. It was a poem. Naruto didn't know who it was by, but he found it to be both depressing and serene at the same time.

It uplifted him for a moment, only to be downtrodden a second later. It was a strange poem, and not many people would give it a second glance but Naruto found his mind revolving around it, in a way. He supposed it was because he wanted to get his mind off other matters and this was the first thing that he could safely focus on for the moment.

_Catching Butterflies_

_A mystery of mysteries  
__Of this I will admit  
__To see a butterfly  
__In this barren wasteland_

_For some time now,  
__My health has been low  
__And the doctors come by  
__Every day_

_But I, I do not listen to those men  
__With their glasses and their gin  
__I prefer a softer sound  
__The breeze through the forest trees_

_And then the forest faded  
__And I was left only with twigs  
__Brown dirt – a desert of it  
__Covered the world of men_

_I lay myself down under the sky  
__And look up to the stars shimmering  
__Yet as I stare at the unchanging sea of lights  
__What should I see but a butterfly. _

_I lift up my hand  
__For I wish to catch it  
__And hold it to my heart  
__But it's out of my reach_

_Slowly, I stood, dizziness overcoming me  
__But I ignored it  
__My sights are set only to the butterfly  
__That flaps its colorful wings like a beacon_

_I will follow this little butterfly  
__Wherever she shall lead me  
__And once I catch this butterfly  
__I'll find the freedom, so let me be_

It was only after he read it the third time through that Naruto remembered a legend that he had heard so many years ago. When a person dies, the last thing he ever sees is the butterfly. The butterfly's magical wings would lead him away, entrancing the spirit in a dance of colour so that the spirit didn't have to go through the panic and pain of realizing they were dead.

It is said that once one catches a butterfly, you can ride safely into the next world on its back. Butterflies were a symbol of death. But they were also a symbol of peace.

_I wish I were a butterfly_, Naruto thought to himself as he lay back down on the couch. His body hurt every time he moved, but he could sometimes ignore it for short periods of time. He had become used to doing that, it made it easier to live with the pain if you could pretend that it doesn't exist.

_If I were a butterfly… then… I wouldn't have to be hurt this much…_ Naruto thought to himself. He was seriously thinking of dying… of suicide. The scattered memories of his dream only enhanced this feeling, as did the beating he received before he slept.

The blonde stood up, dropping the paper onto the couch. He was going to – he needed at least a release. Most of the wounds had closed, but there were hundreds of bruises and scabs in their place. Because of the way that Naruto looked, he could probably hide the cuts he was to make by saying they were obviously from the fight.

His eyes lit up with an insane glint as he lightly ran towards the bathroom. Looking around, he began to panic.

It wasn't here! His razorblade – the one he had used so many times for the little bit of bleeding a pain that made him human, that made him normal, that took him off the outcast stool. It made him realize that he wasn't just an invisible person.

But where was his razor? What had happened to it…?

"If you're looking for you're razor, I threw it out about two weeks ago," a voice behind him said.

Naruto spun, glaring fiercely at the boy in the doorway. One could still tell that Sasuke was angry from the comment that Naruto had made earlier and Naruto was now furious because his razorblade was gone.

"Why…?" he gasped out, trying to hold in his rage, trying to keep under control.

"So that this wouldn't happen," was Sasuke's immediately reply.

Naruto twitched, feeling his shoulders tense up as he held himself back.

"Give it back!" he yelled at Sasuke. "Give it back to me!"

"No," Sasuke snarled lowly, eyes flashing dangerously. Naruto ignored the warning signs that Sasuke was not in the mood to be messed with.

"You don't understand!" Naruto shouted. "You don't get what I need that blade for! Why did you steal it! Thief!"

Sasuke just shook his head. "I took it so that you wouldn't be able to use it for self-mutilation," Sasuke responded calmly. It was strange. Whenever Sasuke was beyond anger, he could have one of two reactions. One, he would become loud and reckless and try to kill everything in sight. The second reaction was become more cold than normal, more clever, cunning and calculating. He was an evil genius when he was in this mood. He had to be.

Naruto grabbed a towel and threw it at Sasuke. While Sasuke was catching the towel, Naruto rushed past him. He slammed into the wall but kept on going. There were knives in the kitchen. Sure, it wasn't his razorblade, but he just needed the pain. He needed to bleed out this disgusting monster that was inside of him every day of his life.

He had to! Everything was telling him to!

Naruto entered the kitchen, rushing from drawer to drawer, trying to find a knife that would suit his needs perfectly.

He finally found one. It had a beautiful silver blade and a straight blade. Testing the sharpness on his finger, the blonde found that he was not disappointed.

A moment later, before he could even think about what was happening, Sasuke was grappling with him, trying to dislodge the knife from his grip. Sasuke slammed Naruto's wrist hard on the counter, and the knife flew in the general direction of the microwave.

Naruto, all of the sudden, didn't want to fight. He just wanted to break down and cry. But he couldn't do that. He _would_ cry, but he would cry with tears of blood that leaked from his wrists. He lunged towards the knife again, only to have Sasuke holding him back.

"Get off me!" Naruto yelled, trying to struggled away from Sasuke's grip on him. "Get off!"

"Don't cut, Naruto," Sasuke whispered in Naruto's ear. "Don't cut. You don't need that kind of shit in your life."

"Who the fuck do you think you are!" Naruto screamed at the top of his lungs, still struggling madly.

He jabbed Sasuke in the ribs and took off towards their room. He was sure he had a box cutter somewhere in here. When he found the bright orange sheathed blade, he pressed it to his wrist, getting a long but shallow cut before Sasuke charged into the room and smacked it out of his hands, pinning Naruto to the floor.

The blonde struggled madly against Sasuke's grip on his wrists and the boy's weight on the small of his back.

"Goddammit," Naruto sobbed softly, tears finally showing. "Why the fuck did you do that? I needed that…"

Sasuke leaned over, resting his chin on Naruto's shoulder comfortably. "Because you don't need that," he whispered slowly.

Naruto just bit his lip. Sasuke couldn't understand. Sasuke could never understand how much Naruto needed that blade to live.

_

* * *

Kyuubi-kun's Korner! _

_Sorry for the late update. I think its been a very long time since I've last updated. However, I made this chapter a full seven pages long in about half an hour, from two pages, so I'm pretty proud of myself. I actually like this chapter. One is because of the poem about the butterflies. Again, by me, its all good. Two is the entire cutting scene. _

_First things first. There is a superstition in Asia that butterflies are the carriers of death. I don't know the exact reason or legend for this. All the stuff that I wrote describing the legend is complete bullshit and from my own head. This is basically a disclaimer so don't run around telling people that what I say is true, because this notice right here tells you that's wrong. If anyone knows why butterflies are the bringers of Death, please tell me. I've always been curious, but also too lazy to try and find out why. Now, moving on to the cutting bit..._

_Yeah, I know what everyone's thinking. "Naruto hasn't cut in over twenty chapters, what is he doing right now?" _

_Well, here's the answer. Naruto has been cutting. He's just been able to do it in a way that it wasn't too obvious. Sasuke eventually caught on and got rid of Naruto's razorblade. Yeah. I just came up with that in the last three seconds. All right, its __11:15__, and I'm tired. So, yeah… ciao people…_


	38. While You Were Sleeping

_Hi everyone, here's the next part of IBB, I must apologize in advance for shortness, I didn't have any bright inspiration, so this was one of those random forced chapters. Hopefully, people still like it and I'll be able to continue this without people getting angry at me. _

**I Bleed Black  
****Chapter Thirty-Eight  
****While You Were Sleeping**

Naruto was still angry at Sasuke for taking away his razor blade, as well as his box-cutter and not giving him a chance to cut. The brunette didn't understand how Naruto felt. He was always helpless, always the one that needed to be saved. He was always the one that held everyone back and made everyone do horrible things.

Like Sasuke…

As much as Naruto loved the boy, he knew that Sasuke had done things because of Naruto that he would never have dreamed of doing.

Because of Naruto, Sasuke had been forced to kill his _father_.

Because of Naruto, Sasuke had almost died.

Naruto was nothing but a curse to those he cared about. He was a plague, a disease – a curse. Everyone that he ever bothered to get to know, to get close to – every last one of them had their lives destroyed by him.

He knew that.

He knew that no matter how much he wanted to live close to people, every one he loved ended up being hurt.

Because of him.

Naruto had to leave Sasuke before Sasuke died. Everyone Naruto loved had died. Naruto had really only ever loved two people – Kyuubi, who was dead, and Sasuke, who had almost died several times on account of the blonde.

There was nothing else that Naruto could do. He had to leave Konoha Academy. He wasn't entirely sure where he would go. He supposed he would go anywhere he could, as long as it wasn't here. It would be for everyone's own good that he went away.

But where could he go where Sasuke couldn't follow him? Was there anywhere?

Naruto wracked his brain. There had to be somewhere he could go!

Blue eyes darted to the clock, which stood proudly on the nearby dresser. It was twelve thirty in the afternoon. Sasuke was at class. Now was the perfect time to leave. Now was the _only _time that he could leave.

Naruto bounded out of bed, rushing around to gather his things together. He grabbed his sketchbook and everything around him seemed to stop. The adrenaline that he had felt only seconds before slowly leaked out of his system. He stared at the book in his hand. Instead of shoving it in his bookbag as he had meant to, he felt obligated to leave it here. Slowly, the blonde walked over to Sasuke's bed and lay it on the covers.

It would be his goodbye present to the one he loved the most.

Naruto flipped to a blank page in the book. He knew it would be about an hour before Sasuke got back to the dorm – at least an hour. Sometimes it took the boy longer because of activities, errands or the like.

Grabbing a pencil, Naruto began to draw. He didn't really pay much attention to what he was sketching, preferring to let his hand do the work that his heart directed it to. His breath caught in his throat when he looked at it again.

On the paper was a rough sketch of Sasuke. That wasn't out of the ordinary, but Sasuke looked like an Angel as he lay there sleeping.

Naruto sighed. He wondered for the first time if leaving was really what he wanted to do. Did he want to say goodbye to the person he loved the most? Did he want to not remember the times they shared because it would be too painful if he dwelled on it?

Did Naruto really want to walk out on the only person he could love as much as he did?

He wanted Sasuke to be safe. He wanted Sasuke to live a long, happy life. Those things wouldn't happen as long as Naruto remained here with Uchiha Sasuke.

Naruto stared at the picture of Sasuke sleeping. He already knew the poen he wanted to write here. He already could see the words in his head.

So, the boy poised his pencil and began to write.

_There are times when I would watch you as you slept  
__You looked like an Angel, wrapped in beauty for me  
__But I can't keep you as mine anymore  
__No matter how much I want to keep you as my own  
__I have to give you away in the end  
__But I don't want to do that  
__So instead, I'll let you choose your fate  
__And I won't be on the menu any longer  
__I'm sorry for all the times I made you mad  
__I'm sorry for all the times I made you worry  
__I guess this is goodbye, I'm setting you free  
__And I'm going to disappear  
__I'll go somewhere where I can't bother you  
__I'll vanish somewhere else, though I don't know where  
__I wish I could kiss you and have a teary farewell  
__But I wouldn't be able to leave if I saw you again  
__So I'll leave, taking my tears with me  
__You no longer have to be my human tissue  
__And I'm no longer the thorn in your side  
__You can't stop me, no matter what you do  
__I know you don't want me here anyway  
__After all, I'm just the curse upon mankind  
__I'm not even human anyway  
__There is so much I want to tell you  
__And so much I want to do with you  
__But I'm going to leave and I don't know where I'm going  
__If you bother to remember me, then remember this  
__I love you  
__I love you for the way you'd kiss me in the night  
__I love you for the way you'd smile at me  
__I love you for so many things  
__Too many things than I can list  
__But that future that I dreamed we'd have together  
__It's only a dream  
__I'll leave before I make it a nightmare  
__So I'm leaving, while you lay there sleeping_

Naruto read the poem over once in order to check for obvious errors. There were none that he could see and so he forced himself to stand up. He couldn't help the tears leaking out and dripping onto the paper.

With that, the boy picked up his bookbag. Leaving the notebook where it was, on Sasuke's bed, Naruto had to remind himself several times _why_ he was leaving.

It was for Sasuke's own good that he left. It was for his love that he left.

He would have no regrets for in making himself live a nightmare, he was protecting the one person he loved the most.

* * *

Sasuke returned home on schedule, as he did everyday.

"Naruto?" he called as he clicked on the light. It was thundering outside, a storm raging around Konoha Academy. It was strange for the light to be off at one thirty in the afternoon, unless of course, his roommate had refused to get up, destroying his alarm and deciding to sleep for a few extra hours.

Sighing to himself, with a small smile lit on his face, Sasuke made his way towards Naruto's bed.

The boy wasn't there.

The bed was made up. That dobe _never_ made up the bed. Warning signals went off in Sasuke's head. He knew that something wasn't right.

He just didn't know _what_ exactly was wrong.

He didn't know anything, to be sure. Slowly, feeling a headache growing in his temples, Sasuke walked over to his own bed.

His obsidian eyes fell on the sketchbook. Tugging off his jacket, Sasuke dropped it on a nearby chair as he leaned onto his bed, looking at the poem and picture written and drawn on the page it was open to.

"While You Were Sleeping?" he said aloud, his voice echoing in the empty room. "That's new. I don't recall ever here about this one, or seeing it for that matter."

He took a quick look at the date that he knew he would find in the lower right hand corner, along with scribbled initials. It was just written today.

_If this was written today, that means the dobe woke up_, Sasuke thought in his head. _But where is he, then?_

He shrugged it off, turning his attention back to the words that were written down there. He scanned through them, the feeling of dread growing with each line he read.

_That… fucking bitch!_ Sasuke thought to himself, jumping up and rushing to a window. He could feel the twisting turmoil of emotions take him over.

_He thinks that its good for him to leave – he thinks he's a monster… goddammit, Sasuke, why didn't you realize he was this depressed beforehand. He… I… I could have stopped this. I could have seen this. _

_It was obvious, looking back on it now, that Naruto wasn't feeling right. He's been more jumping lately than anything I've ever seen. Why couldn't I put the signs together?_

Sasuke hated when people he loved went away. It had only happened a few times – but Naruto was a person that he would sacrifice his life for. Naruto was someone whom he would try and protect, no matter what the cause was to himself.

He loved Naruto deeply. He needed Naruto in order to continue living naturally.

But Naruto was nowhere to be found.

Sasuke rushed to get a new jacket, the other one having been soaked through with the harsh torrents. He finally found another coat and put it on, looking through the pockets for his keys, even though his rational mind told him that his keys were in his other jacket.

Sasuke wasn't even angry at the boy – he didn't know why he wasn't angry. He just wanted to see that Naruto was okay. He just wanted to see that his dobe was alive and well… and… not like this.

If they were going to divide paths, it couldn't be like this. Naruto couldn't do this to Sasuke.

Sasuke's hand encountered something in the pocket. He pulled it out. It was a crumpled piece of paper.

Looking down at it, he read the faded handwriting.

_Uzumaki Naruto has been kidnapped by Uchiha Tomoe and Orochimaru. Save him! Please…_

The note was unsigned, but, oh, the memories that it brought back to Sasuke. He remembered the exact day that he had been given this note.

It was passed to him by Neji and Gaara on the day after Naruto's birthday, when he had been taken captive by Sasuke's father.

_The young Uchiha felt a tingling on his neck as the sun peaked over the horizon. He stopped his pursuit, keeping one eye on his prey while he scanned the area for whoever was after him._

_Much to his surprise, Hyuuga Neji and Sabuka Gaara appeared out of the foliage. Both were armed with their chosen weaponry, having actually prepared for a confrontation before leaving their respective dorms._

_"Why are you here?" Sasuke asked suspiciously. _

_Neji and Gaara stared at him for a moment before the Hyuuga spoke. "Calm down, Uchiha," Neji told him in a soft manner. "We're here for the same purpose you are – and that's to find Naruto."_

_Sasuke nodded. He had suspected that, but before he could continue that train of thought, another question hit him. "How did you know where to find him?"_

_Gaara and Neji exchanged a glance. Gaara put a hand in his pocket and withdrew a folded piece of paper. "This was delivered to Naruto's dorm room," Gaara informed him with an expressionless face._

_For reasons he didn't know, Sasuke wanted to punch the redhead. Instead, he took the paper and unfolded it, reading what was written on it. _

_Naruto… the Uchiha thought as he scanned the message. _

_"Jiraiya told us to prepare to get him back," Neji continued. He held something out to Sasuke. _

_Sasuke grinned as his fingers enclosed around the hilt of the katana Neji held. Taking it in both of his hands, Sasuke whipped out the blade, letting the dawn light shine on its surface. _

_"Let's go," he urged the others before slamming the blade back into its sheath. _

_Neji and Gaara nodded, following Sasuke after Kabuto and Orochimaru._

Naruto… Naruto was everything to Sasuke. Hadn't the Uchiha proven that on several occasions?

So why would the blonde leave him like this? Why would he just leave? It didn't make any sense to the Uchiha, it just didn't click in his mind.

Sasuke didn't know whether he was on the verge of tears or just on the edge of sanity. He couldn't tell anymore. He shook his head, pulling the hood of his jacket up and running out into the rain.

He had to find Naruto. He didn't care if he became sick doing this. He didn't care what happened to him – as long as Naruto was safe, he didn't care.

But he couldn't find the boy.

He searched everywhere where he thought that the blonde would be. The park, the ramen stand, the other dorms, the hospital – everywhere but there was no Naruto. It scared Sasuke, and he felt panic rise within him. He fought it down, but it lingered at the back of his mind.

Where had Naruto disappeared off to? Why did he do such a thing? The questions persisted to try and find answers in Sasuke's mind.

There was nobody on the streets during this downpour. Sasuke tried to run but ended up slipping on a rock and falling into the mud and concrete. He paused there, trying to let the pain rationalize his mind.

It worked, but only somewhat. He began to think more clearly, but he still couldn't think of anything that had anything to do with Naruto.

He needed to find that dobe. Naruto wasn't a curse to him – Naruto was someone he loved very much and he had no clue what he would do if he couldn't see Naruto.

He didn't know if he could live without Naruto.

_Tch… I'm weak… I'm pathetic… but I love him_, Sasuke thought to himself as he lay there. He breathed in the cool air that the rain created.

Why did Naruto always think that these things were his fault? There was nothing Naruto could have done in some of the situations that the two teenagers had found themselves in.

Sasuke felt tears leak out of his eyes and was immediately happy for the rain that masked his pain. He didn't know what to do – he didn't know how the hell everything made sense and it did, he just couldn't decipher it without a headache. It was like one of those paintings where everything is jumbled together than you can sometimes pick out a shape, but only when you're not looking for it.

Sasuke was looking for that shape – those answers right now, though. It didn't give him any answers though. Naruto was a jigsaw puzzle and Sasuke didn't know how much he had solved over the past year.

Was there such a thing as fate? Did this mean that he and Naruto were not meant to be? Sasuke didn't know how to interpret this, so he just sat there, allowing the tears to fall down his cheeks and mingle with the rain that cried from the skies above.

There was nothing left for Sasuke.

There was nothing that he could do anymore.

There was no one that he could protect.

Naruto was gone.

He was truly and utterly gone.

_No, I cannot think like this_, Sasuke tried to tell himself but nothing convinced him to believe that there was any hope or luck on his side that would help him find Naruto.

He was completely at the end of his tether. He didn't know what the next decision would be, but he wasn't sure he wanted to find out. In fact, the only thing that Sasuke absolutely wanted was Naruto.

But one couldn't have everything one wanted, could one? I mean, there were such things as the unreachable dreams… was Naruto one of these dreams to Sasuke?

Not knowing what else to do, Sasuke looked to the skies, allowing the raindrops to splatter on his face. He opened his mouth and emitted a long, loud yell.

It was a sound full of despair, devastation. A sound without laughter or happiness. This was the scream of a void – which one has loved and lost, but lost so deeply that one wishes that they never loved to begin with.

This was the scream of a torn and broken soul who could do no more than scream for everything else didn't work.

Everything else was just a blur.

Only one thing mattered to such a soul.

And that was usually the only thing that they could not attain.

_

* * *

Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

_I know that this chapter is very confusing. I was writing with emotions, trying to describe most things from Sasuke's point of view, which wasn't that orderly because he panicked and adrenalines rushed through him. I'm sorry if I confused anyone with Sasuke's POV but I actually liked writing it. It gave me a chance to vent. _

_All right, Kyuu-kun's disappearing now._


	39. Assembling

_I HAVEN'T UPDATED THIS FIC SINCE FEBRUARY! I feel horrible! Absolutely horrible! I'm sorry. I meant to update on the 24th of June as a one-year thing… and I meant to update before then, but I never really had any ideas… BUT IT'S JULY! I have no excuses. So I can only beg your forgiveness! (kneels and begs forgiveness on this poor author's soul) Please don't be angry with me. _

**I Bleed Black  
****Chapter Thirty-Nine  
****Assembling **

Jiraiya looked at the student before him, eyes narrowed in thought. He couldn't believe what this boy had just informed him of. Naruto had disappeared. Sasuke had went to the first teacher that he could think of and that was Jiraiya.

The man now sat at his desk in complete silence, trying to think about what to do next. He wasn't entirely sure. He didn't know what he could do for Sasuke, who looked as though Naruto had died or something.

Sasuke sat in silence as well. He was angry, hurt, confused and unsure. Had Naruto really not felt safe around him? Was Sasuke helping the boy too much? Did Naruto hate him?

The mere thought of Naruto hating him sent a deep pain into Sasuke's chest. He tried to keep his face emotionless, but it was getting harder and harder as the seconds ticked by. He just wanted his blonde idiot back.

But he didn't know where he was. He didn't know where Naruto had run off to. He didn't know what he had to do. He just didn't know anything anymore, it seemed. His mind was in turmoil. He wanted to find Naruto, but he didn't want to know why Naruto left. What if Naruto really _did_ hate him? What would happen then? Would that just be the end of all they came through?

Sasuke didn't want anything to end. He wanted everything to continue as it had been going lately and would be damned if he had to spend eternity alone. Maybe he just wasn't cut out for friendship. There were so many doubts and horrors running through the Uchiha's brain that he didn't even hear Jiraiya call his name.

"Sasuke?" the man yelled, having already tried to get the boy's attention at least three times.

Sasuke started, looking blearily at his teacher. He didn't say a word, merely waited for the older man to continue.

Jiraiya sighed. "I can't say I know exactly what to do here," he murmured softly. Sasuke could hear him, though, could hear the regret in his voice.

"There has to be something," he protested in a panicked voice. He couldn't just leave Naruto out there. What if Akatsuki found him? What would happen then?

Sasuke didn't even want to think about such a thing at the moment.

"Don't think I don't know that, brat, but I'm not sure what to do."

"Then I'll go, I'll search for him. I found him last time. I did. He was really cold and…" the boy's voice caught in his throat as he remembered that day. He could remember everything. Naruto had run away from the hospital and ended up in a park, and Sasuke had found him after searching for a while. He had been so happy when he had found him. He wanted to find him again – not to say he had discovered the boy twice, but because he didn't think he could go on without his Naruto here.

"Dammit!" he growled, slamming his fist onto the desk that Jiraiya was sitting at. "Just god _fucking dammit!_" He sank slowly to the floor.

Jiraiya looked at him. There was nothing he could say or do at this point. He couldn't dissuade him from this point of view, this conviction that he had goaded himself into. All he could do was offer his support for the venture that he wanted.

Jiraiya wrote something out on a piece of paper in front of him before turning back to Sasuke. "I will get all of your teachers to excuse you from classes on three conditions," he told the boy.

Sasuke looked at him, hardly believing what he was hearing. Was Jiraiya just yanking his chain or was he actually going to let him go. "What conditions?" he asked.

"Number one, and this I think is most important," the older man began. "I want you to take Hyuuga Neji, Nara Shikamaru, Sabuka Gaara and Sabuka Temari with you."

"Why Temari?" Sasuke asked.

"If we are dealing with Akatsuki, it is likely that Temari will know what to do. She's smart, she's strong _and_ she can cook."

Sasuke stared at him for a moment before nodding. After all, Temari could be a good asset to the team. Shikamaru was a genius, as much as he liked to hide it and Sasuke knew that he was, so he could get Shikamaru to get them out of sticky situations. From what he heard, Temari was almost as smart as Shikamaru, and that could be very helpful. Gaara and Neji were both strong and he had worked with them before, so he would welcome them in this little expedition of his.

"Number Two, you will maintain frequent contact with me. If I do not hear from you every other day, I will send someone out after you, understood?"

Again, Sasuke nodded. Here, Jiraiya was covering his own ass, seeing as how he was sending a bunch of teenagers against Akatsuki, it was only natural that he be able to keep a close contact with them to ensure that they don't die. And if they did, to ensure that they don't blame him for it.

"What's the third condition?" Sasuke wanted to know as he stared at Jiraiya, standing up straight once again.

"The third condition is a time limit. There's only so much weight I can through around this campus. I need you back here within two weeks."

"T-Two weeks?" Sasuke yelled, slamming his hands onto the desk in disbelief. Was Jiraiya off his rocker? How could he establish a time limit? "What if we don't find him? We have no clue where he could be!"

"Then I suggest you move quickly," was all the other told him. He handed him four slips of paper. "These will explain the situation to the others, as well as tell you where their rooms are if you don't already know."

Sasuke thanked the man before rushing out. If he only had two weeks, then there was much to be done before he could set off and he wasn't going to waste any time. Naruto couldn't get too much of a head start or else they would never catch up to him.

And Sasuke was going to find him. He swore to that in his mind. He would find his love. He would bring him back, even if he had to beat sense into him to do so.

* * *

Sasuke arrived at Shikamaru's dormroom first. It was his old one, and this boy was his old roommate, so he figured that it would be easiest when working with negotiations.

Shikamaru stared at him when he answered the door. "Huh?" he asked, wondering why the Uchiha was there but too lazy to say anything other than that to express his curiosity.

Silently, Sasuke handed him the slip of paper that was for him from Jiraiya. "I need you help," he said softly as Shikamaru skimmed it.

Shikamaru glared at him for a moment before sighing. "You're too troublesome, but I'm not the type of guy that would just leave a friend hanging. Who else are you bringing?"

Sasuke, happy enough that Shikamaru was agreeing without too much fuss, immediately complied in telling him who else was coming. "Neji, Gaara, Temari and the two of us. At least, I hope for the other three. If they decline, I don't know what to do."

Shikamaru shook his head. "They won't, you idiot. Now, let's go before you piss your pants."

Sasuke nodded hurriedly and they made their way to their second stop, which was Neji's room.

Neji answered the door and looked at the two of them before him. "Why am I being disturbed by you two this early in the morning?" he wanted to know.

"Naruto's gone, we need your help to find him. You're the best tracker in the school. At least, the best one I know of, and here," Sasuke babbled for a moment before handing off the slip of paper that Jiraiya had given him. The two in the doorway were silent when Neji just sighed and shook his head.

"He's an idiot," he told the two and Sasuke clenched his fists. "Down, bulldog, I said he was an idiot, but I'm not going to deny that he's _our_ idiot."

Sasuke broke out into a relieved grin. "Come on then, we have to speak to Gaara and Temari."

Neji blushed lightly at the mention of his secret crush, Gaara, but he hid it quickly as he followed the overzealous Sasuke and the normal Shikamaru.

Gaara just stared at them after hearing the news. His eyes reflected something that they had never seen before and were unable to identify. In truth, Gaara knew what it was like to be too afraid to get close to people, to be too afraid to find himself friends. He would run whenever someone became to close to him. It was safer that way. Maintaining distance was safer for both himself and the person he was distancing himself from.

Naruto had been different. At first Gaara had been reluctant to believe that he was part of Akatsuki, even though he was an abandoned experiment. The boy was too innocent, too happy. It was hard to believe he had had any past besides the one with parents, siblings and a dog. But Naruto had gone through the same hells that Gaara had.

And Gaara was not about to turn his back on the only person that was like him. He didn't want Naruto to abandon him. After all, the failed experiments that Akatsuki didn't want _had_ to stick together. Thinking about it now, they were lucky they had failed. If they hadn't, they would just be machines and dogs of Akatsuki. Gaara would die before that happened to either one of them.

If that was what had happened to Naruto, though, then he would do his best to get the boy back.

"I shall come," he said in a soft voice. Neji nearly had to hold Sasuke back from glomping the poor redhead. No matter how homicidal he looked, Sasuke was overjoyed to find that everyone he had asked so far was going to help him search for his boyfriend.

He needed Naruto, after all, and nothing would ever change that.

His father would be displeased.

_Don't think about him_, Sasuke thought to himself. _He's dead. Focus on your objective. We just have to convince Temari, prepare for the worst, hope for the best and leave. Then we'll find Naruto._

The last stop was Temari's room. She answered the door, and noticing the somber company that was outside, ushered them inside.

"Well, what can I do for you?" she asked them.

Sasuke wordlessly handed her the last slip of paper. She pursed her lips together as she read what was written there.

"So he finally cracked?" she asked, staring straight as Sasuke.

Sasuke shifted uncomfortably. "I suppose," he said, not meeting her eyes. He didn't want to see the penetrating gaze that was accusing him of something that he could have prevented. But he didn't, and that's why he was here with the others.

"Well, I promised him that he was my little brother, didn't I?" she said brightly. "And if there's something I've learned, its that I don't leave my family behind."

Gaara smiled slightly to himself when he heard that. He knew that he was true. After all, the reason that he was here was because she refused to leave him behind. He owed his life to her, and to Kankarou, but mostly to his elder sister.

Not that he would ever tell her such a thing.

"So, when do we leave?" she asked.

Sasuke stared at her with the stoic expression he was infamous for. "As soon as possible," he replied, a hard edge to his voice that promised pain to anyone who tried to hurt his Naruto.

"Then we'll leave tomorrow morning," Temari said.

Sasuke glanced at her in confusion. "Why tomorrow, why not now?" he wanted to know.

Temari shook her head. "Have you _looked_ outside?" she asked steadily. "It's nearly dark! We won't even be able to _see_ anything that Naruto might have accidentally left behind, let alone _ask_ people if they've seen him." She ruffled Sasuke's hair as he glared at her. "Get your things together, money, weaponry, clothes, food, and we'll leave first thing tomorrow. We'll all come to your room, agreed?" She looked around at the others.

Gaara nodded.

"I suppose, if that's what is desired," Neji told her.

"This is too troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, but they had hung around him enough to know that "troublesome" usually meant a consenting reply while "bothersome" was a fifty-fifty chance. Since he had said the former, it was obvious he had agreed to the demand.

Sasuke nodded. He made his way to the door. He was about to exit when he turned around, bowing to the other four. "Thank you, so much," he told them before turning around and making his way back to his dormroom.

Temari stared at where he was standing a moment beforehand. "He's hopeless," she told the other three. "Utterly hopeless. All that's on his head is Naruto this and Naruto that. It's no wonder his fanclub didn't have a chance."

Shikamaru chuckled at that remark.

Gaara looked at his sibling. "At least Naruto will know what it's like to have someone care for him," he told her.

She nodded. "If everything works out as it should, he should get that into his head by the time all of this is over."

"And then what are we going to do?" Neji asked, feeling as though there was something more to her acceptance of this mission than meets the eye.

"You're really too intuitive for your own good, Neji," she laughed. "Are you sure you're not a girl?"

Neji turned red. "I'm positive. Now, why don't you share with me what you really mean?"

"Well, if we recover Naruto from wherever the hell he's gotten himself off to, then I suppose that the five of us might be strong enough, with Naruto that would make six, and we would probably be even stronger."

"Strong enough to do what?" Shikamaru asked.

Temari gave a little half-smirk. "Take down Akatsuki, of course."

_**

* * *

Kyuubi-kun's Korner!**_

_Aargh! I'm so sorry once again for my extreme lack of update. I have no excuse. But I'm happy that I finally got this chapter done. The first page has been sitting under my ass for months, I just never got around to finishing it. So now I'm happy that I was able to do so. _

_I hope you enjoyed. I wonder if there are people who are still reading this fic. I wouldn't be surprised if their weren't. _


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